Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has convened an emergency meeting of DMK MPs on Wednesday to discuss the potential impact of the Centre’s proposed delimitation exercise on the state.
The meeting will be held via video conference from Dharmapuri, where Mr Stalin is campaigning, party sources said. It is scheduled to begin at around 11:00 am, with discussions expected to focus on the party’s position on delimitation in Parliament.
Notably, the Union government proposed increasing the number of Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850 following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census. The move is linked to the implementation of one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
And earlier on Tuesday, Stalin warned that Tamil Nadu would launch a large-scale protest if the exercise harms the state’s interests or disproportionately affects southern states. Referring to the special session of Parliament on April 16, Stalin said it has being "forcibly convened" in the midst of elections in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
"In this session, the union government intends to bulldoze through a Constitutional amendment on delimitation," he alleged, apparently claiming that the Centre intends forcing its decision on southern states including Tamil Nadu.
"This hurried attempt to push through delimitation is a blatant assault on democracy by the BJP government. More than that, it is a direct assault on the rights of states" Stalin added.
"You will witness a Tamil Nadu that you have not seen before. India will once again witness the spirit of the DMK of the 1950s and 1960s. Do not mistake this for a threat. This is a warning. Even if you choose to interpret it as a threat, it does not concern us. Yes, this is a warning issued from Tamil Nadu," the CM said.