Delimitation: Stalin for legal fight as well, Pinarayi likens exercise to 'sword of Damocles'

Chennai: Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK backed first Joint Action Committee (JAC) meeting over Lok Sabha delimitation saw a political consensus emerge to bat for 'fair delimitation,' to not lose representation and to fight against having population as the yardstick to determine the number of seats.

At the meeting held here on Saturday, TN Chief Minister M K Stalin made it clear the fight is likely to be taken forward through the legal route also.

In the meeting, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the delimitation of LS seats was hanging like the "sword of Damocles," and alleged the BJP government was going ahead on the issue without any consultation.

He said "This sudden move is not driven by Constitutional principles or democratic imperatives," but by narrow political interests. Delimitation, if done after Census will lead to an increase in seats for northern states, a reduction for southern states. Such a cut in seats for the south and an increase for the north will suit the BJP as it holds greater influence in the north.

Addressing the meeting here, CM Stalin favoured setting up an expert panel to draw up the political and legal action plan. He proposed christening the panel as 'Joint Action Committee for fair delimitation' and sought ideas to initiate legal action, by taking forward political fight.

"We are not against delimitation, we are for fair delimitation," he said, adding, "continuous action is very essential to establish rights."

On the JAC, he said it was very essential to create awareness among people, and to urge Centre. Stalin was for a united fight to win; and said "Our representation must not decline."

Karnataka Dy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar alleged that the Centre planned to reduce the Parliamentary representation of southern states. Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann alleged the BJP wanted to increase seats in states where it wins and reduce in states where it loses. In Punjab, the BJP does not win. "They do not have a single set out of the (present) 13." Mann further claimed that "south is facing loss," and asked if the southern states were being punished for reducing population.

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy alleged that if BJP carried out delimitation exercise based on population, south India will lose its political voice, and "north will make us secondary citizens."

Further, Reddy asserted "South will not accept population-based delimitation." Also, Reddy asked the Centre to not increase Lok Sabha seat numbers during delimitation.

Senior BRS leader from Telangana and former minister, K T Ramarao said delimitation based on population was "extremely unfair."

CM Stalin in a social media post said: "Today will be etched in history as the day when states that have contributed to our nation’s development came together to safeguard its federal structure by ensuring #FairDelimitation. I warmly welcome all Chief Ministers and political leaders to this meeting, united in our commitment to #FairDelimitation."

Meanwhile, the BJP's Tamil Nadu unit staged black flag demo against the meet, with party leader K Annamalai dubbing the discussions as 'drama.'

His party colleague and former Governor, Dr Tamilisai Soundararjan alleged the concerned CMs who attended the meeting did so to hide the misgoverance in the respective states.

"There are so many corruption charges in Telangana, Kerala. Their own people will be against their CMs attending this event," she claimed while speaking to PTI Videos.

"Instead of calling this a delimitation meeting, it can be called corruption hiding meeting," she added

Annamalai said the blackflag agitation was being held to protest against Chief Minister M K Stalin for 'compromising' on state's rights in key issues including the Mullaiperiar and Cauvery water disputes with neighbouring Kerala and Karnataka, respectively.

Besides the Mullaiperiar issue with Kerala, "now waste--medical, human and animal, from Thiruvananthapuram is being dumped in Tamil Nadu, whether it be Tenkasi or Coimbatore. This is happening after the Communist government came to power," he alleged.

Why was Stalin not raising these issues with Vijayan or the Mekedatu reservoir row with Shivakumar, he asked. The project envisages construction of a balancing reservoir across river Cauvery in Mekedatu in Karnataka.

"Stalin has visited Kerala four times (as CM), but the said issues have not been taken up (with Vijayan). But they are discussing a matter that is not an issue at all-- a result of their own imaginations," he said about delimitation.

"All our rights have been sacrificed by CM Stalin, so this blackflag protest," Annamalai said.

"This (meet on delimitation) is not just a drama; no state including Tamil Nadu is going to be affected by delimitation, won't lose a single seat on pro-rata basis. They will be in same position," the former IPS officer told reporters.