Bhubaneswar: A two-member DMK delegation, comprising Tamil Nadu Minister TRB Rajaa and MP Dayanidhi Maran, met with Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik to discuss the contentious issue of delimitation.
The meeting took place at Naveen Niwas, where the DMK leaders urged the BJD president to join the Joint Action Committee (JAC) in opposing the Centre’s proposal to redraw constituencies solely based on population.
The delegation extended an invitation to Patnaik to attend the JAC meeting in Chennai on March 22, which aims to unite states against the delimitation proposal. Patnaik expressed concerns about the matter, and the DMK leaders are hopeful that the BJD will join the JAC.
The DMK delegation also met with Bhakta Charan Das, the president of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC). The DMK has been reaching out to various parties, including those within the NDA, to build opposition against the delimitation proposal.
“On behalf of CM Stalin, we have come here to formally invite Naveen babu to attend the meeting in Chennai… He shares our concerns. States, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Punjab and Odisha are going to be directly affected (by delimitation),” DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran said.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has written to his counterparts in several states, inviting them to join the JAC and fight against the “unfair exercise” of delimitation. Stalin proposed the inaugural JAC meeting in Chennai on March 22, urging leaders to join forces and chart a collective course forward.
