Emphasising multilingualism, DMK MP Kanimozhi announced that, translation has been arranged in Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Punjabi and Odia. While Chief Minister Stalin spoke in Tamil, Kanimozhi and Udhayanidhi spoke in English.
Published Mar 22, 2025 | 11:43 AM ⚊ Updated Mar 22, 2025 | 2:18 PM
Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Telangana Chief Ministers at the Fair Delimitation meet. (Screengrab)
Synopsis: On 22 March, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin hosted a Joint Action Committee (JAC) meeting on delimitation, attended by leaders from Kerala, Telangana, Punjab, Karnataka, and other states. The meeting opposed delimitation exercise based on population, proposing a 25-year freeze. Leaders emphasised on federalism, fair representation, and unity, criticising the central government’s unilateral approach and its potential negative impact on states with controlled populations.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, on Saturday, 22 March, hosted the first Joint Action Committee (JAC) meeting on delimitation. It was attended by the Chief Ministers of Kerala, Telangana, Punjab, Pinarayi Vijayan, A Revanth Reddy, Bhagwant Singh Mann respectively and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar.
Apart from the ruling party representatives, KT Rama Rao from BRS, Sanjay Kumar Das Burma from BJD, Sardar Balwinder Singh Bhundar president, Shiromani, Akali Dal, K Sudhakar, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president, Shiromani Salam from IUML, NK Premchandran from Revolutionary Socialist Party, Kerala was also present at the meeting.
Emphasising multilingualism, DMK MP Kanimozhi announced that, translation has been arranged in Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Punjabi and Odia. While Chief Minister Stalin spoke in Tamil, Kanimozhi and Udhayanidhi spoke in English.
The nameplates of each state’s representative too were in English and their respective state’s languages to drive home the point on the two-language policy adopted by Tamil Nadu.
Kanimozhi then read out the proposed resolution, which sought to freeze the delimitation exercise for the next 25 years.
Welcoming the leaders, MK Stalin said, “I welcome all the Honorable Chief Ministers, Deputy Chief Ministers, national and state party leaders, representatives, ministers, and Members of parliament to this meeting. We have gathered here to protect Indian democracy and federalism. The presence of leaders from various states showcases our unity in this cause.”
“In our country, each state has its unique characteristics. For a true federal system to thrive in India, states must have autonomy. This will pave the way for comprehensive development. The BJP government’s actions are punishing states that have controlled their population. This will lead to reduced representation and a decrease in the parliamentary seats. The delimitation process will adversely affect our future. We will lose our democratic representation, and our cultural identity will be compromised. Social justice will be impacted, and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes will be severely affected,” he added.
“This issue is not just about delimitation; it’s about our rights as citizens. We must not take this lightly. We are not against democratic representation, but we demand fair delimitation. The unity shown by Tamil Nadu must be replicated in all states. I request you to share your valuable suggestions. Let’s name this joint committee the ‘Fair Delimitation Joint Action Committee.’ This struggle will not end with just a one-day meeting.”
He further added, “We must pressure the central government and create awareness among the people. I believe this joint committee is essential. I request everyone to provide their input on this matter. Let’s form an expert committee to delve deeper into this issue. Unity is key; we must stand together and fight to achieve victory. In this challenging situation, our representation must not be compromised.”
Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin speaking at the meed noted, “For decades, states present here have made significant efforts to control and manage the population growth. We introduced policies, raised awareness and achieved what the nation aimed for – stable population growth. While some other states continue to experience rapid population growth, we acted responsibly. As a result, we reached the population replacement rate much earlier than many other states. But instead of being rewarded for this achievement, we are now at the risk of losing our political representation.”
At the meet, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan attacked the BJP and claimed, “Proposed delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies is hanging over our heads…Various reports indicate that the BJP-led Union government is going ahead with the delimitation process without any consultation. This sudden move is not driven by any Constitutional principle or any democratic imperative. But by narrow political interests.”
“Delimitation process, if it is undertaken after the census, will lead to a large increase in the number of seats of northern states while there will be a significant reduction of the southern states in Parliament. This will suit the BJP as they hold greater influence in the north. If delimitation is carried out purely on the basis of population, then Kerala and other southern states will suffer as we have been bringing down our population since 1973 when the previous delimitation was carried out in which the number of seats in Lok Sabha was reorganised.”
“Our states are now set to be punished precisely for our sincere implementation of the National Population Policy of 1976. When a state faithfully implements a nationally regularised policy, it deserves special consideration for that very reason. Not only is this consideration being denied but we are even being penalised for fulfilling our duty to the nation. This is the crux of the current issues.”
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, speaking at the meet, said, “Today, we have a big challenge facing the country. BJP is implementing a policy of demographic penalty.”
“Since 1971, when India decided to adopt the family planning policy, as a national priority, south India has done very well, but big states in north India have failed. We became spectacular south, we achieved the fastest economic growth, with GDP, higher per capita income, better governance and the best social welfare. We contribute more to the national exchequer, and get lesser allocations.”
“We are one country, we respect it. But we cannot accept this proposed delimitation because it will politically limit us. It will punish us for being performing states. We have to stop the BJP from implementing any unfair delimitation,” he further added.
Former Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik, through a video message said, “This is an important meeting to ensure democratic representation and rights of people living in states that have done very well to control and stabilise the population. Population Control is an important national agenda for the development of our country, and the national agenda was decentralised into state interventions, throughout the years, the Union government has given high priority towards this.”
“The states also took their own initiatives and joined in successfully implementing the national agenda. States like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, and West Bengal, have been very successful in this regard. If these states had not achieved what they did, India would have had a population explosion.”
“While population control our contribution towards a positive national agenda, towards building a strong India, delimitation based only on population figures will be unfair to the states that have worked hard to reduce their population growth rates in line with national priorities. It is our stand that population should not be the only criterion to determine the number of seats in the highest representative body of our country. I suggest that the Union Government take up a detailed discussion with all parties so as to remove any doubts on this very important issue that has far-reaching implications for our democracy.”
Meanwhile, former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging that the delimitation must uphold the federal spirit of democracy. “We urge that no state should face a reduction in its share of seats in the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha. Equitable governance ensures every region’s voice is heard.”
Delimitation must uphold the federal spirit of our democracy. We urge that no state should face a reduction in its share of seats in the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha. Equitable governance ensures every region’s voice is heard.
Letter to Hon. Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji on… pic.twitter.com/fSdipnzIlE
— YSR Congress Party (@YSRCParty) March 22, 2025
BJP in Tamil Nadu, led by Annamalai, protested against the meet, claiming that it was a diversion tactic. Speaking to the media, he said, “In the last four years after DMK came to power, Tamil Nadu’s interests have continuously been sacrificed for political gain. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has never gone to Kerala to speak with them and solve the issues, but today, he has invited the Kerala chief minister to talk about an artificial issue which he has created.”
He added, “Our condemnation is for the MK Stalin for inviting the Kerala chief minister and not solving Tamil Nadu’s problems… DK Shivakumar is plotting his move against Siddaramaiah. That is the reason for him to come running to Tamil Nadu to show that he is a pan-India leader and Siddaramaiah is a regional leader. The prime minister has said that population is not the criteria and Home Minister AMit Shah said that it is going to be on a pro-rata basis.”
.@BJP4TamilNadu stages protests across #TamilNadu condemning the @arivalayam government as the Joint Action Committee meeting on #Delimitation takes place in #Chennai today. pic.twitter.com/ruTG0Fjd9H
— South First (@TheSouthfirst) March 22, 2025
(Edited by Sumavarsha, with inputs from Subash Chandra Bose)
