Chennai: The Tamil Maanila Congress (M) has announced that it will not participate in the all-party meeting called by the Tamil Nadu government on March 5. The party leader and former Union Minister G.K. Vasan stated that the meeting was an attempt to divert people’s attention from the various unresolved issues in the state and that his party will not participate in it.
He also pointed out that the Central government has not made any official announcement regarding the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies in Tamil Nadu.
Vasan noted that during his visit to Tamil Nadu on February 25, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had clarified that the Central government had not taken any stance on the delimitation of constituencies and that Tamil Nadu’s parliamentary seats would only increase, not decrease.
The Tamil Maanila Congress (M) has expressed its opposition to the Central government’s policies, including the three-language formula and the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). The party has also criticised the state government for not taking a strong stance against these policies.
It may be recalled that Tamil Nadu BJP has announced that it was boycotting the all-party meeting convened by Chief Minister Stalin.
State BJP president K. Annamalai on Saturday (March 1) announced that his party will boycott the all-party meeting convened by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on March 5 to discuss the issue of delimitation.
In a letter to the Chief Minister, Annamalai accused CM Stalin of spreading “imaginary and baseless fears” regarding the delimitation process. “You have misconstrued the delimitation exercise and called for an all-party meeting to propagate imaginary fears and deliberate misinformation, even before the official details of the exercise have been released,” Annamalai wrote.
He further argued that if CM Stalin was concerned about Tamil Nadu losing parliamentary seats due to delimitation, he should have directed the 39 MPs from the INDIA bloc to raise the issue during the Budget session of Parliament.
Annamalai also alleged that CM Stalin was attempting to divert public attention from the state’s governance issues. “With lawlessness at its peak, governance in disarray, rampant corruption, and policy paralysis, you have chosen to focus on making video reels every day instead of addressing real problems. This entire delimitation controversy is nothing but a figment of your imagination,” he charged.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Stalin defended the need for the all-party meeting, stating that delimitation poses a significant threat to Tamil Nadu’s representation in Parliament. He said that all 40 registered political parties in the state would be invited to participate in the discussion.
“Tamil Nadu is being forced into a major struggle for its rights. We have invited all 40 political parties registered with the Election Commission of India to discuss this crucial issue,” CM Stalin said.
He warned that if delimitation is carried out based solely on population, Tamil Nadu could lose up to eight Lok Sabha seats, reducing its representation from 39 to 31 MPs. Even if the overall number of MPs in the country increases, Tamil Nadu could still be at a disadvantage due to proportional redistribution, he argued.
CM Stalin stressed that the issue is not just about the numbers but about Tamil Nadu’s fundamental rights. “As a state that has been a pioneer in development indices and effective population control measures, we should not be penalized. This delimitation exercise, if implemented unfairly, could weaken Tamil Nadu’s voice in Parliament,” he said.
Calling delimitation the “Sword of Damocles” hanging over Southern states, CM Stalin emphasized that it could disproportionately impact states that have successfully implemented population control policies. “As a first step, we are organizing this meeting to bring together all political parties and leaders of Tamil Nadu. I urge all parties to set aside their differences, attend the meeting, and express their views on this critical issue,” he added.
–IANS
