Chennai: Warning that population-based delimitation could impact Tamil Nadu’s political representation, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin urged newly married couples in the southern state to have children immediately. He stressed that the state’s successful family planning measures have now put them at a disadvantage.
Stalin said he has changed his views on family planning and would not advise newly married to now wait before having children. “Earlier, I used to ask the newly weds to take time before expanding their family. Now with the delimitation that the Union Government is planning to implement, such advise does not stand. We focussed on family planning and controlled population. Now, I urge the newly married to immediately plan on having children, and give them Tamil names,” he said while speaking at an event in Nagapattinam.
The Chief Minister linked his concerns to the possibility of delimitation being implemented based on population census figures. The ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu has been leading the delimitation charge against the government. Delimitation is the process of redrawing boundaries of parliamentary and Assembly constituencies to reflect changes in population over time. Stalin has contended the delimitation exercise, which is expected to be conducted after 2026. Stalin claimed that this move will put southern states at a disadvantage as these states had implemented family planning effectively over the years.
Meanwhile, Stalin has called for an all-party meeting on March 5 to discuss the issue of delimitation. He has also requested the Opposition parties to attend the meeting. “Please set aside ego. Don’t think about why you should listen to my call,” Stalin said, as quoted by India Today.
Reacting to Stalin’s statement, DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi said, “If the delimitation is done on a population basis, then states like Tamil Nadu, which have a controlled population, will lose their seats and the states which have non controlled population, like UP or Bihar, will gain more seats. Union Home Minister Amit Shah was here in Coimbatore recently, and he said that Tamil Nadu will not lose seats pro rata, but his remarks have created more confusion than any clarification. We want to know on what basis the delimitation will be done, and…they have to ensure that the percentage of seats in Tamil Nadu or South of India is not reduced in the Parliament… They have to ensure that justice is done to states which have controlled population and they do not lose out to many other states which haven’t…”
