Stalin issues ‘final warning’ from Tamil Nadu on delimitation
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin issued Tuesday a “final warning from Tamil Nadu” to the Narendra Modi government against delimitation, saying it should not be pushed in this month’s special session.
In a video statement, he issued a stern final warning to the BJP-led Union government against pushing a Constitutional amendment on delimitation during the special Parliament session scheduled for 16 April.
He cautioned that any move harming Tamil Nadu or disproportionately empowering northern states would trigger a massive statewide agitation with “every family hitting the streets.”
The special session, scheduled from April 16 to 18, will introduce a Constitutional Amendment Bill to implement women’s reservation ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
The Delimitation Constitution Amendment Bill and the Women’s Reservation Bill are directly linked because the Women’s Reservation Act, 2023, reserves 33 percent of seats in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies for women. However, it won’t apply immediately; it only comes into effect after the next Census and a delimitation exercise.
Since seat numbers are finalised after delimitation based on the post-2026 Census data, southern states fear losing representation because their population grew more slowly while northern states gained.
The DMK argues that linking the bill to delimitation could delay it indefinitely, as the Census 2021 is already overdue and delimitation is unlikely before 2029.
In a strongly worded video message ahead of elections on 23 April, Stalin described the hurriedly convened special session, set against ongoing polls in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, as an undemocratic attempt to “bulldoze” the amendment without transparency or consultation. He accused the Centre of acting unilaterally, ignoring repeated appeals from southern states and even the principal opposition Congress party.
Stalin reminded the Centre that southern states, including Tamil Nadu, had diligently followed the Union government’s earlier calls for population control and smaller families. “When the Union government urged us to control population growth, to have smaller families, and to follow family planning measures, we complied. Is this now the punishment for having done what was asked of us with discipline?” he asked.
He pointed out that despite consistent demands for a clear assurance from Prime Minister Modi in Parliament that southern states would not be penalised, there has been no response. Requests for MPs from various parties to meet the Prime Minister personally were also denied. Even Congress leader Sonia Gandhi raised the same concerns on Monday, yet received no clarity, Stalin noted.
The Chief Minister criticised the lack of clarity on the proposal and the methodology of the delimitation exercise. “We do not even know how this delimitation exercise is going to be carried out. No explanation has been provided so far,” he said, adding that such secrecy only heightens suspicions of a “grave danger” beneath the move.