After accusing the then DMK government and the police of failing to prevent last year's Karur stampede and alleging that the ruling party attempted to gain political advantage from the tragedy, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Friday also criticised the Centre over the proposed Delimitation Bill, which failed to secure passage in the Lok Sabha during a specially convened three-day Parliament session in April.
Without directly naming the BJP, Vijay reiterated that Tamil Nadu would never accept the proposed delimitation exercise, asserting that no one would be allowed to deprive the state of its rightful representation.
Referring to reports that the BJP-led NDA government was considering introducing a fresh Constitutional Amendment Bill to revive the delimitation process, Vijay said, "I am also hearing that delimitation will be brought back. No matter who brings it, Tamil Nadu will not accept it."
"Nobody can take away our place, and we will not allow it," he added while addressing a gathering in Karur during a programme where appointment letters for government jobs were handed over to the families of those who lost their lives in last year's stampede.
Tamil Nadu had become the first state to pass a formal Assembly resolution opposing the proposed delimitation exercise in February, when MK Stalin was serving as Chief Minister.
Later, in April, ahead of the Assembly elections, Vijay outlined his opposition to the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, urging the Centre to withdraw it. He argued that the legislation was discriminatory and would weaken the political representation of the southern states, particularly Tamil Nadu.
The bill subsequently failed to obtain the required two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha.
While the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) welcomed the proposal to provide 33 per cent reservation for women, the party opposed the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, on the grounds that it would significantly widen the gap in parliamentary representation between the southern and northern states, Vijay said.
In a statement posted on social media platform X, Vijay argued that if the bill became law, representation for the southern states would decline while that of the northern states would increase, particularly in matters concerning legislation on language, culture, state rights and broader Union government policymaking.
He said such a shift would weaken the voice of people from the southern states, especially Tamil Nadu, which, according to him, had consistently complied with Union government policies. Vijay described the proposal as a biased move by the Centre.
He further argued that the bill would effectively penalise states that had implemented Union government policies while rewarding those that had not. According to him, the legislation could also affect the distribution of central funds because of changes in the number and proportion of parliamentary constituencies.
Referring to Tamil Nadu's longstanding contention that it already receives a smaller share of central funds than it deserves, Vijay said there was a strong possibility that population-based allocations would decline further if delimitation was implemented. He urged the Centre to retain the existing system.
Reiterating his position ahead of the Assembly elections, Vijay maintained that the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill should be withdrawn because it would diminish the political influence of the southern states and could adversely affect the flow of central funds, while reaffirming that TVK continued to support the proposal for 33 per cent reservation for women.
