"Sword that hung over our heads has descended upon us...": MK Stalin calls for protests on Centre's delimitation move

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 15 (ANI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday chaired an emergency meeting of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MPs to discuss the repercussions that Tamil Nadu is likely to face regarding constituency delimitation.
In an X post, he noted that the issue of Delimitation has become a grave concern and threatens the rights of people. He appealed to the MPs of all political parties to form a coordinated strategy to protect democratic principles.

"Delimitation: The sword that hung over our heads has now descended upon us. In consultation with our DMK MPs, we are reaching out to Members of Parliament across states and devising a coordinated strategy to counter this grave danger. This is not about parties or individuals. It is about protecting the rights of our people. I appeal to all parties and MPs across India to unite to safeguard our democracy," he wrote.
Earlier Stalin called for black flag protests across the state in response to the centre's move.
In a post on X, Stalin questioned whether Tamil Nadu and southern states were being "punished" for contributing to India's growth and warned that the move had triggered widespread anger across the region.
"Is punishment being meted out to Tamil Nadu and the southern states for the crime of striving for India's growth? The delimitation amendment bill that the Union BJP government plans to introduce in Parliament tomorrow is a massive historic injustice inflicted upon Tamil Nadu and the southern states," he said.
He further alleged that people across South India were angered over the proposed move and cautioned the BJP against proceeding with it.
"Every South Indian south of the Vindhyas is boiling with rage. The BJP is playing with fire," Stalin said.
Calling for protests, the DMK president urged people to hoist black flags at homes and public places across Tamil Nadu
"Tomorrow, across Tamil Nadu, black flags will be hoisted on homes and public spaces in protest against delimitation," he added.
DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran also flagged that the representation of the southern states, including Tamil Nadu, will reduce in comparison to the northern states, Maran said that the rights of each state should be respected and the delimitation should be done on a proportionate basis.
Maran accused the Centre of "bulldozing" the Constitution amendment Bill, without discussion with each state.
The DMK MP told ANI, "Our leader MK Stalin held a meeting with all the DMK MPs. They are disguising the bill as a bill for a women's quota, but it's not a bill for a women's quota. It is for delimitation. The real dragon is delimitation. They want delimitation based on the 2011 census, which all the opposition parties have been opposing. That's not a fair way to do it. They are increasing the seats for Uttar Pradesh from 80 to 240. Do not do it based on the population. Let's do it on a proportionate basis. What is the hurry to introduce this bill when the other states are going for elections? You never discussed with all the states. You want to bulldoze this."
"He (CM MK Stalin) is saying this is not good for the country, this is not the right way. In a democratic country, the rights of every citizen should be respected. Every DMK MP will be present and vote against the Bill. Tamil Nadu CM has asked people to show a black flag in every household as mark that we don't agree with PM Modi. We all will be wearing black outfits to show that we are against the Bill... BJP is non-existent; people will never vote for a party which is against the interests of Tamil-speaking people," he added.
The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, which provides for 33 per cent reservation for women legislators, is linked to the delimitation process in the Lok Sabha. The government is planning to implement the women's reservation ahead of the 2029 General Elections.
According to sources, the government has proposed to increase the number of seats in the House to 850, with 815 seats proposed for the States and the remaining 35 for the Union Territories. The Lok Sabha has 543 seats at present.
While the seats in Lok Sabha will witness a 50 per cent increase, the opposition parties have expressed concern as this increase will not be on a pro-rata basis for each state. The delimitation exercise, under Article 82 of the Constitution, is linked to the population of a constituency. (ANI)