CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give assurance in writing that delimitation will not be carried out based on the current population.
Speaking at a public meeting organised in Chennai on Friday to celebrate his birthday, Stalin said, “Modi must give it in writing that Tamil Nadu will get its due representation (in Parliament) on the basis of 1971 population and the state’s rights will not be affected.” He also referred to the assurances given by former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Atal Bihari Vajpayee in this regard.
Thanking Telangana and Karnataka for echoing Tamil Nadu’s voice on the issue, Stalin appealed to other states, too, to raise their voice for justice. Criticising Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan for pressurising TN to accept the three-language policy under the National Education Policy to get educational funds, Stalin said, “India is now in the hands of cruel rulers who are not releasing educational funds.”
TN BJP must stand with govt on delimitation, our identity is under threat: CM
Criticising Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan for pressuring TN to accept the three-language policy under the National Education Policy to get educational funds, Stalin said, “India is now in the hands of cruel rulers who are not releasing educational funds. Dharmendra Pradhan said as per the Constitution we should accept the three-language policy. Which constitutional provision says that? Is there any law enacted in Parliament? Dharmendra Pradhan is destroying the dreams of our children, and the PM remains a mere spectator, the CM said.
Appreciating the coalition parties of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Front, Stalin said, “Our alliance has been winning since 2019 and it will continue in the 2026 Assembly elections. It is our spirit of camaraderie that saved Tamil Nadu and protected Tamils and social justice.” He also affirmed that there won’t be any crack in the alliance and that those expecting it will be disappointed.
The DMK chief also welcomed the AIADMK’s decision to take part in the all-party meeting called to discuss the delimitation issue on March 5. Those who are avoiding the all-party meeting to please BJP should know that their act will bring nothing but harm to TN,” he warned.
Stalin also called on the Tamil Nadu BJP to stand with the state to show other states that we are together.
“Only through that, can we prevent this imminent danger and uphold our rights. If we miss it, our identity will be destroyed,” he said.
Unleashing a scathing attack on AIADMK and BJP, Stalin said, “Had the AIADMK-BJP coalition won in 2021 Assembly elections, Tamil Nadu would have been reduced to its worst condition. AIADMK would have mortgaged all our rights to the union government. BJP would have threatened and taken over both the AIADMK and Tamil Nadu.”
Earlier in the day, in a letter to party cadre, Stalin said that those undermining India’s diversity and linguistic culture and disrupting its unity are the real anti-nationals.
The DMK, since its inception, has been at the forefront of various struggles, enduring oppression, facing court cases, and its leaders had served jail terms, and even sacrificed their lives to protect the Tamil language and the rights of the Tamils. “This is why the rulers of India fear DMK when it initiates a struggle,” he added.
Stalin addressed the criticism regarding the party’s opposition to Hindi, noting while Hindi is indeed an Indian language, it is primarily spoken in only a few states. “The rulers of the Indian union and their party members argue that we oppose Hindi, a language of India, while accepting English, a foreign language. However, English is foreign to all states, whereas Hindi is foreign to some states, including Tamil Nadu,” he explained.
