Tamil Nadu Hosts Historic Delimitation Meeting Amid BJP Criticism

Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK hosted its first meeting of states on delimitation in Chennai on Saturday, with Chief Minister MK Stalin declaring the day would be “etched in history.”

Welcoming chief ministers and political leaders, Stalin emphasized their unity in the fight for fair delimitation. “Today will be etched in history as the day when states that have contributed to our nation’s development came together to safeguard its federal structure by ensuring #FairDelimitation,” he wrote on X. He further asserted that this was not just a meeting but the beginning of a movement to shape the nation’s future.

At the meeting, Stalin opposed the proposed method of delimitation based on current population figures. “Delimitation of constituencies should not happen as per the current population. We all should be firm in opposing it… With the decrease in people’s representatives in Parliament, our strength to express our views will also decrease,” he stated.

Who Attended the Meeting?

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, Punjab CM Bhagwant Singh Mann, Shiromani Akali Dal’s working president Balwinder Singh Bhunder, and Indian Union Muslim League Kerala general secretary PMA Salam participated in the event. The DMK had contacted leaders from Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal, and Punjab.

BJP Dismisses Meet as ‘Delusional Drama’

Ahead of the meeting, Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai dismissed it as a “delusional drama.” The BJP staged a black flag protest, criticizing Stalin for not convening similar discussions on inter-state water disputes like Cauvery and Mullaiperiyar. BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan called it a “corruption-hiding meeting” for opposition leaders.

Annamalai also took to social media, sharing a speech by DMK Minister TM Anbarasan, alleging it insulted northern states. “While TN CM @mkstalin orchestrates his delusional drama on delimitation, we hope he plays this speech of DMK Minister TM Anbarasan to his I.N.D.I. Alliance partners,” he wrote.

The Delimitation Debate

The DMK has been at odds with the BJP-led Centre over several issues, including central funding for education. The latest flashpoint is the proposed delimitation, which involves redrawing constituency boundaries based on population data.

Earlier, Stalin urged PM Narendra Modi to use 1971 population figures as the basis for the next 30 years, ensuring Tamil Nadu’s representation in Parliament remains at 7.18%. At Saturday’s meeting, he reaffirmed that a Joint Action Committee (JAC) is “essential to create awareness among people.”

Union Home Minister Amit Shah weighed in on March 21, stating that southern states “will not lose a single Parliamentary seat.” He accused Stalin of spreading misinformation, emphasizing national unity, and downplaying concerns over language disputes. “Hindi is not in competition with any Indian language; it is only a friend,” Shah said.

With both sides holding firm, the delimitation debate continues to deepen the political divide between the DMK and BJP.