Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has raised concerns over the potential impact of population-based delimitation, urging residents to prioritize childbirth to safeguard the state’s political representation. He warned that Tamil Nadu could lose up to eight parliamentary seats if delimitation is carried out based on census figures.
Addressing the issue, Stalin stressed that the state’s once-successful family planning policies had now put it at a disadvantage.“Earlier we used to say, take your time and have a baby. But now the situation has changed, and we should say it now,” he remarked. “So, I won’t say take your time, but immediately have your baby,” he said. Speaking at a DMK district secretary’s wedding in Nagapattinam, he humorously suggested that newlyweds should plan families quickly and give their children “good Tamil names.”
To strategize against delimitation, Stalin has convened an all-party meeting on March 5, inviting 40 political parties to discuss the matter. While urging unity across party lines, he also appealed to the BJP to participate, emphasizing that this issue concerns the entire state, not just the DMK.
Home Minister Amit Shah has refuted Stalin’s claims, assuring that no southern state would lose Lok Sabha seats due to delimitation. BJP spokesperson CR Keshavan accused the DMK of using the issue as a “desperate and dishonest diversionary drama” to distract from governance failures. He also challenged the DMK to question Rahul Gandhi’s “Jitni Abadi, Utna Haq” stance, which advocates for political power proportional to population.
The delimitation debate has gained traction across South India. Andhra Pradesh CM N. Chandrababu Naidu had previously voiced concerns over declining fertility rates, warning of an ageing population and the need for incentives to encourage larger families.
Stalin maintains that Tamil Nadu’s commitment to population control and its economic contributions should not be penalized. He likened the looming delimitation process to a “sword dangling over Tamil Nadu” and vowed to resist any move that diminishes the state’s representation in Parliament.
(With inputs from Business Today)
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