Chennai (Tamil Nadu), March 3: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin made an unusual appeal on Monday, urging couples in the state to "give birth to a child immediately" to ensure better representation in Parliament. His statement comes as a response to the Centre's upcoming plans for constituency delimitation, which he argues could disproportionately affect southern states like Tamil Nadu. Stalin voiced his concerns that the new delimitation, based on a 'pro-rata' formula, would result in reduced representation for Tamil Nadu.
Addressing a marriage ceremony of a party worker’s son, Stalin remarked that the number of MPs a state can have is directly linked to its population. He further explained, "In the past, we used to say, ‘Don’t rush to have children.’ But now, in light of the current situation, I won’t say that anymore. More population means more MPs, and now I encourage you to give birth to children immediately to secure more representation for Tamil Nadu."
Stalin highlighted the significance of population in determining the number of MPs, saying, "With 39 MPs, we are already fighting for our rights. If we have more MPs, we can achieve our goals more effectively." He called on all political parties to attend an upcoming all-party meeting regarding the delimitation exercise to discuss and raise their concerns.
The context behind Stalin’s statement is the looming delimitation exercise, which may affect Tamil Nadu’s parliamentary representation. While the state’s share in the Lok Sabha is expected to see only a slight increase, other states like Uttar Pradesh are poised to gain more seats, sparking concerns over the imbalance this could create in political power distribution.
Earlier in the day, Tamil Nadu's Deputy Chief Minister, Udhayanidhi Stalin, reiterated the state's firm stance against the National Education Policy (NEP), delimitation, and the imposition of Hindi. He accused the central government of attempting to "impose Hindi through the back door" via the NEP, adding that Tamil Nadu would not accept the new education policy or any attempts to impose Hindi. Udhayanidhi also underscored that the current Tamil Nadu government, led by the DMK, would not bow to central government pressures, contrasting the current administration with the previous AIADMK government.
The issue of delimitation has also drawn criticism from other regional leaders, including Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured that the delimitation process would not disadvantage southern states. However, leaders like Stalin have strongly criticized the proposal, citing concerns over potential imbalances in representation.
Earlier this week, CM Stalin called on the people of Tamil Nadu to unite in opposition to the delimitation and the three-language policy, stating that the state's rightful funds had already been withheld due to the policy. He further emphasized that the state would resist any attempt to diminish its representation in Parliament and stressed that Tamil Nadu’s welfare and future would not be compromised. "Tamil Nadu will fight back, and we will prevail," Stalin declared.
