Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin reportedly took a sarcastic jab at the Centre’s proposed delimitation plans, suggesting that newlywed couples in the state should plan their families immediately in order to secure an advantage when the exercise is conducted.
I would earlier ask newlyweds to take their time before they plan a family, but not anymore, an NDTV report quoted the Tamil Nadu chief minister as saying at the wedding function of a DMK district secretary in Nagapattinam.
“But now with policies such as delimitation that the Union government is planning to implement, we cannot say that. We focused on family planning and succeeded and were pushed into a situation such as this. So I would now urge newlyweds to immediately have babies and give them good Tamil name,” CM Stalin said.
The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu has been vocal in opposing the Centre’s delimitation plans, which involve redrawing the boundaries of parliamentary and assembly constituencies based on demographic changes.
Delimitation row
Chief minister Stalin has expressed concern that southern states, like Tamil Nadu, which have effectively implemented family planning over the years, could be disadvantaged when the delimitation process takes place after 2026.
Stalin believes that this could reduce the representation of southern states in Parliament, despite their significant contributions to the country’s GDP and success in population control.
In response, BJP spokesperson CR Keshavan slammed Stalin’s remarks, calling them part of a “desperate and dishonest diversionary drama.”
Keshavan also questioned whether the DMK had the courage to challenge Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s statement on population rights, which he described as being in direct contradiction to Stalin’s stance.
“The DMK, which is engaging in desperate and dishonest diversionary drama, have the courage to question Rahul Gandhi and seek an explanation on his call for ‘Jitni Abadi, Utna Haq’?” the NDTV report quoted Keshavan, who was referring to Rahul Gandhi’s call for rights proportionate to population.
Keshavan also accused the DMK of diverting attention from the party’s alleged “gross mismanagement, misrule and misgovernance.”
Amid this, Stalin also slammed the Centre for pushing a National Education Policy (NEP) that he believes imposes Hindi on the states. He also appealed to the state BJP not to boycott an upcoming all-party meeting regarding the delimitation issue.
“They are trying to implement delimitation that will reduce the number of Lok Sabha seats for Tamil Nadu. I have convened an all-party meeting on March 5 to discuss our stand on delimitation. Forty registered with the Election Commission have been invited. A majority of them have said yes, and a few are skipping it. But they should understand that this is not a problem of DMK, it is a problem for the entire state. So I urge everyone again to stand together for the welfare of this state and its rights,” Stalin said.