Tamil Nadu Chief Minister headed an all-party meeting in Chennai on Wednesday (5th March) to discuss issues like ‘Hindi imposition’ and ‘delimitation’. The meeting unanimously rejected the delimitation of Parliamentary constituencies expected to take place in 2026. A resolution passed in the meeting denouncing the delimitation said that it would threaten the federal structure of the country.
Among others, the meeting was attended by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIDMK), Congress, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Tamilaga Vetri Kazhgam and the Communist parties. BJP, Naam Tamilar Katchi and Tamil Mahila Congress boycotted the meeting. The parties in the meeting said that delimitation would result in reduced representation of Tamil Nadu and other southern states as the states have controlled their population through family planning measures. They said that the southern states should not be penalised for successfully controlling their population. “It is entirely unjustifiable to reduce Parliamentary representation of Tamil Nadu and other south Indian states solely because they have proactively implemented population control measures in the national interest,” the resolution read.
Thankful to all parties that stood together as a single unit in the All-party Meeting convened by the Government of Tamil Nadu, setting aside the political differences to send a clear and uncompromising message on the unjust #Delimitation initiative.
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) March 5, 2025
The resolutions passed today… pic.twitter.com/d3fZnKdA4z
Addressing the meeting, Stalin said that the status quo should continue for a minimum of three decades. He said that Tamil Nadu has 39 representatives in the Parliament and still the central government does not consider them. He added that if delimitation is implemented the seats of Tamil Nadu in the Parliament will reduce. “A delimitation exercise will only make matters worse,” he said. Stalin said that delimitation if implemented, should be based on the 1971 census. Two days ago, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister urged Tamil people to have children immediately, so that they can counter the impact of the population-based delimitation exercise next year.
Opposing the delimitation, actor and the Makkal Nidhi Maiam party chief Kamal Hassan said that the delimitation exercise was not required as the country has progressed even with the existing number of MPs. He added that if the central government wants to increase representation, it should increase seats in state assemblies.
#WATCH | Chennai: Actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Hassan leaves after the all-party meeting over the delimitation issue, chaired by Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin.
— ANI (@ANI) March 5, 2025
He says, " My opinion is that this 453 (seats) need not change. Even when it was 145 crore, these 453 members… pic.twitter.com/YqWcJsecIh
Stalin alleges Hindi Imposition
Referring to the Sengol that was installed by the central government in the Parliament to honour the Tamil culture, Stalin accused the central government of indulging in symbolism and not taking concrete measures for the Tamil language. Stalin called Sanskrit a dead language and asked the central government to allot more funds to Tamil language rather than Hindi or Sanskrit.”Rather than installing Sengol in Parliament, uninstall Hindi from Union government offices in Tamil Nadu. Instead of hollow praise, make Tamil an official language on par with Hindi and allot more funds for Tamil than a dead language like Sanskrit,” Stalin wrote on X.
If the BJP’s claim that our Hon'ble PM has great love for Tamil is true, why is it never reflected in action?
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) March 5, 2025
🎯Rather than installing Sengol in Parliament, uninstall Hindi from Union Government offices in Tamil Nadu. Instead of hollow praise, make Tamil an official language on… pic.twitter.com/4Yppzj1N4N
Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu BJP has started a door-to-door signature campaign in favour of the three-language formula under the National Education Policy (NEP).
The DMK has maintained its stand of rejecting Hindi as a medium of instruction in schools under the NEP and adhering to its two-language policy which includes Tamil and English. The party often refers to the anti-Hindi agitations of 1965 which were spearheaded by the Dravidian movement to resist the imposition of Hindi in the state.
