Key Points
Southern states fear significant reduction in parliamentary seats while northern states gain
"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," CM Vijayan said during the meeting.
The Kerala Chief Minister further stated that if the delimitation is carried out purely on the basis of population, then Kerala and other southern states will suffer from this.
He said, "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." Hhitting out at the Central government, CM Vijayan stated that the Union Government's actions from fiscal policies to language policies to cultural policies to now even the fixation of representation are "destabilising" India's federal system and democratic framework.
"If our Parliamentary representation is further reduced, while our share of the nation's wealth continues to decline, we will face an unprecedented situation in which both our rightful share of funds and outer political voice to demand them diminishes simultaneously. It is in the recognition of the gravity of this issue that we, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Odisha, West Bengal and Punjab are now uniting in protest. We are gathered here at the invitation of Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin to mark the beginning of our coordinated resistance by forming a Joint Action Committee. The Union Government's actions from fiscal policies to language policies to cultural policies to now even the fixation of representation are destabilising India's federal system and democratic framework. This cannot be allowed to pass," the Kerala CM said.
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy also criticised the proposed delimitation process stating, "Constituency delimitation is a punishment for performing better."
BRS Working President and MLA KT Rama Rao hailed the Tamil Nadu government for conducting this meeting.
KTR said, "Tamil Nadu is an inspiration for the protest to protect rights".
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, while leading the Joint Action Committee meeting, called on all the opposition parties to be united in the protest against the delimitation exercise, which he claimed will weaken the political might of the southern states.
During the first meeting called in Chennai on Saturday, Stalin also proposed to form a legal expert committee on the delimitation issue, while stressing the need for a "fair delimitation".
The meeting was attended by various political leaders, including Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Odisha Congress President Bhakta Charan Das, and Biju Janata Dal leader Sanjay Kumar Das Burma, among others.
The MK Stalin-led Tamil Nadu government has locked horns with the Central government over the three-language formula proposed in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the delimitation exercise.
