TIRUVANNAMALAI: Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) chief Thol Thirumavalavan has urged Chief Minister MK Stalin to initiate discussions with CMs of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka on crucial regional issues, especially on the delimitation exercise.
He made this statement while addressing the media in Thiruvannamalai on Wednesday during his visit to Chengam for various events.
Highlighting the impending parliamentary constituency delimitation exercise, he cautioned that if the process is carried out based on population census, Tamil Nadu and other South Indian states could lose around 80 parliamentary seats. He emphasised the need for immediate consultations to address this concern.
He criticised the Union government's ‘push to implement’ the three-language policy in Tamil Nadu, stating that it goes against the vision of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who had affirmed that Hindi should not be imposed on non-Hindi speaking states. He alleged that the BJP government, through the National Education Policy (NEP), was attempting to enforce Hindi as a mandatory third language, calling it part of the Hindutva agenda.
“The BJP's ultimate goal is 'One Nation, One Language.' Tamil Nadu will never accept the ‘RSS-backed’ three-language policy,” he declared. He further accused the Union government of putting financial pressure, stating that funds are being linked to the acceptance of NEP, which he termed a “coercive move”.
Thirumavalavan welcomed CM Stalin’s initiative to convene a meeting on March 5 with leaders of registered political parties to discuss the delimitation issue. He stressed that the issue affects not just Tamil Nadu but all South Indian states, making the discussion crucial.
He warned that if the delimitation exercise is carried out purely based on population, Tamil Nadu’s parliamentary seats could reduce from 39 to just 31, which he termed a serious threat to the state’s representation in the Lok Sabha.
Recalling the family planning policies introduced under former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, he pointed out that Tamil Nadu was at the forefront of implementing them, leading to controlled population growth. “It is unfair to penalise states like Tamil Nadu that successfully implemented population control measures,” he asserted.
He called the state government’s initiative to establish CM’s pharmacies to provide affordable medicines to the poor “a commendable move”.
When asked about actor Vijay’s political entry, he remarked that the real test would be the elections. “Let him face the polls first. People will decide to accept him or not. Every election brings new players, but not all achieve significant success,” he noted.