CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu BJP, in a letter to CM MK Stalin on Saturday, explaining its rationale to boycott the all-party meeting called to discuss the impact of delimitation for Tamil Nadu, was strangely silent on the explanation given by its state chief on the interpretation of pro rata basis of delimitation.
Speaking to reporters in Tiruppur on Saturday, BJP president K Annamalai said the delimitation will ensure “pro rata increase” of Lok Sabha seats “as per the existing number of LS seats (in each state) and not as per the population of the states”.
“Tamil Nadu presently accounted for 7.15 % (39) of the total 545 LS seats and if the total seats are increased to say 700, 800 or 1,000, the state’s seats will be proportionately increased to maintain this 7.15% share of TN in the overall LS seat matrix. The CM is attempting to spread imaginary fears over the matter,” Annamalai said.
After Stalin made delimitation a key issue by scheduling the all-party meeting on March 5, the BJP has been blaming the DMK for raking up a non-issue, that too when the exercise has not even started, to divert attention from the alleged anti-incumbency faced by the ruling DMK in the state.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who spoke in Coimbatore on Wednesday, reiterated this allegation against DMK while assuring all southern states that they will not lose a single Lok Sabha seat due to delimitation. He further assured that their Lok Sabha seats will increase on a “pro rata” basis. The DMK was quick to respond, blaming Shah for being vague since he did not clarify the crucial part on what the “pro rata” calculation would be based on.
The party raised concerns that if the “pro rata” calculation is based on existing population, then Tamil Nadu would lose its proportionate share of seats in Lok Sabha. DMK MP A Raja, who addressed the media on Wednesday, even said his party would be willing to call off the all-party meeting if BJP is willing to assure that the pro rata calculation will be only based on the existing proportion of LS seats of each state.
Talking to reporters, Annamalai said the home minister had clarified that the pro rata increase will be based on the existing number of seats and criticised the DMK for continuing to harp on the issue instead of focusing on serious issues like increasing crimes.
However, in his letter to Stalin on Saturday, Annamalai had refrained from providing this assurance explicitly. The letter maintained what Shah had said in the meeting. “Our honourable Home Minister Amit Shah had clarified that no state would be undermined in the delimitation exercise and it would be done on a pro rata basis,” the BJP chief had said in the letter, without expressly stating as to what the pro rata calculation would be based on. The letter further blamed the CM for deliberately spreading “imaginary fears” even before the “means and methods through which the exercise is to be carried out are officially rolled out”. In the letter, the BJP chief had also listed the contributions of the ruling BJP, especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to Tamil language and the state.
On why the party’s letter did not clarify on pro rata calculation, highly placed sources in TN BJP reiterated that the state would not lose its proportionate representation but the specific details on delimitation can officially be spelled out only by the union government.
(With inputs from P Srinivasan @ Tiruppur)