Chennai: The first meeting of the Joint Action Committee on delimitation is underway in Chennai. Addressing the leaders present, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin clarified that the protest was not against delimitation itself but aimed at ensuring "fair delimitation."

Stalin stated, "Our country has multiple cultures. As per constituency delimitation based on population, our states will be affected since we have taken action to control population growth. That is why we are in a situation where we must oppose it, as it may lead to a decrease in our representation in Parliament. As per the current population, constituency delimitation should not happen. We should all be firm in opposing it. This protest is not against delimitation but to urge for fair delimitation."

During the meeting, Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin stressed that states that had successfully controlled population growth should not be penalised by losing political representation.

"For decades, states present here have made significant efforts to control and manage population growth. We introduced policies, raised awareness, and achieved what the nation aimed for – stable population growth. While some other states continue to experience rapid population growth, we acted responsibly. As a result, we reached the population replacement rate much earlier than many other states. But instead of being rewarded for this achievement, we are now at risk of losing our political representation," he said.

TMC's absence noted

The meeting saw the participation of Chief Ministers and representatives from various states. However, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), despite previously supporting the DMK's stance on delimitation, did not send any representatives or leaders to the meeting.

Stalin welcomes leaders

Ahead of the meeting, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin welcomed Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. Stalin also felicitated the Chief Ministers and leaders from various political parties attending the meeting on delimitation.

He has called for a joint effort from political parties to raise their voices against delimitation, describing it as a "blatant assault on federalism."

Stalin had earlier written to the Chief Ministers of seven states, including those from both National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ruling states and opposition parties, urging them to unite against what he described as an "unfair exercise."

Ahead of the Joint Action Committee meeting, Stalin stated that today would be remembered as a defining moment in Indian history when states came together to safeguard the nation's federal structure by demanding fair delimitation.

Posting on social media platform X, Stalin wrote, "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. I warmly welcome all Chief Ministers and political leaders to this meeting, united in our commitment to #FairDelimitation."

Tamil Nadu’s ongoing dispute with the Centre

The MK Stalin-led Tamil Nadu government has been at odds with the Central government over multiple issues, including the three-language formula proposed in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the delimitation exercise.

ANI