Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Saturday chaired a meeting of MPs to deliberate on the Centre’s proposed delimitation exercise, but the discussions were boycotted by the DMK and AIADMK, which termed the move unnecessary and politically driven.
The meeting, held at Kalaivanar Arangam, focused on the potential impact of delimitation on Tamil Nadu. The discussions came amid reports that the Centre could convene a special session of Parliament after August 13 to consider the Delimitation and Women’s Reservation Amendment Bills.
A total of 21 MPs participated in the meeting, including 11 Congress MPs, two each from the CPI, CPI(M) and VCK, and one each from the MDMK and IUML. Congress veteran P Chidambaram, VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan and MDMK leader Durai Vaiko were among those who attended.
The DMK, which has 22 Lok Sabha MPs and eight Rajya Sabha MPs, did not participate. The AIADMK, which has four Rajya Sabha MPs, also stayed away, along with its ally PMK.
KANIMOZHI EXPLAINS DMK BOYCOTT
DMK MP Kanimozhi said the purpose of the meeting was unclear and maintained that the delimitation issue had already been discussed extensively during the tenure of MK Stalin as Chief Minister.
“Today, Chief Minister Vijay had invited MPs for an all-MP meeting, but a majority of the MPs did not participate. The agenda of this meeting itself is not clear,” she said.
Kanimozhi noted that Stalin had previously held consultations on delimitation, including a meeting involving five Chief Ministers. She also pointed out that TVK leader Bussy Anand had participated in one of those consultations.
She further highlighted that the Tamil Nadu Assembly had already adopted a resolution on delimitation in February and questioned why another meeting was necessary.
Kanimozhi clarified that the DMK was not against delimitation in principle but wanted the exercise to be conducted fairly and without compromising Tamil Nadu’s political representation.
“We did not oppose delimitation. We wanted a fair delimitation. We all passed that position unanimously,” she said.
DMK, AIADMK CALL MEETING A ‘FARCE’
Senior DMK leader A Raja dismissed the meeting as “a farce” and “a laughable exercise”, arguing that Parliament had not yet been presented with any concrete proposal on delimitation.
A DMK MP also told PTI that inviting individual MPs instead of political party leaders was inappropriate because MPs were required to follow their respective party positions.
The AIADMK described the gathering as a “hurriedly staged drama”, noting that no new delimitation Bill had been introduced in Parliament and that there had been no official announcement regarding the proposed exercise.
The party also questioned Vijay’s decision to convene a meeting on delimitation while allegedly overlooking Opposition demands for an all-party discussion on the Cauvery-Mekedatu dispute.
It accused the government of attempting to divert attention towards delimitation while farmers in the Cauvery delta were dealing with water shortages.
TVK'S STANCE ON DELIMITATION
Vijay has repeatedly opposed the Centre’s push for delimitation, describing it as a “biased move” that could reduce the political influence of southern states, particularly Tamil Nadu.
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister recently renewed his criticism of the Centre’s delimitation plans and warned that the state would oppose any fresh attempt to revive the exercise.
“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,” Vijay said during an address in Karur.
Before the Assembly elections in April, Vijay had also called on the Centre to withdraw the delimitation Bill, arguing that the exercise could further widen the representation gap between northern and southern states.
