Ahead of the April 16 special Parliament session, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said, “Do not assume even for a moment that you can silently redraw Tamil Nadu's constituencies from New Delhi.”
Debates on the Union government’s proposed delimitation of Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies are expected to take place during the special session.
“A great danger has come to the doorstep of Tamil Nadu … Rather than saying a [special session] is being convened, it is better to say it is being forced upon us at a time Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are in the middle of elections,” Stalin said in a video statement issued on April 14.
Alleging that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would attempt to “bulldoze” its way through the debates, Stalin said, “This attempt to carry out delimitation in such a frantic hurry is a blatant anti-democratic act by the BJP government. They are murdering state rights.”
Pointing out uncertainties in the proposal, Stalin added, “They have not given any explanation regarding what constitutional amendment entails. Since they are doing this so secretively, everyone suspects that something big and dangerous is gathering strength. The people of the southern states are in great fear.”
The CM also warned the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi that “If anything happens that affects Tamil Nadu or grants more political strength to the northern states, we in Tamil Nadu will not just sit and watch.”
Stalin said if Tamil Nadu is affected, the state will come to a standstill and show its opposition strongly. “As the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, under my leadership, we will conduct a massive protest. Do not think even for a moment that you can silently redraw Tamil Nadu's constituencies from New Delhi,” he said.
Stalin further warned: “India will have to see the old DMK of the 50s and 60s again. Do not think, ‘Is this man threatening us?’ I am warning you. Even if you consider it a threat, we do not care. Yes, this is a warning being sent from Tamil Nadu.”
The CM was referring to the state-wide anti-Hindi agitations of the 1950s and 1960s.
“Elections, governance, power—these are all secondary to us. We are people with self-respect. To us, ideology and state rights are important. On the birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar, the Father of our Constitution, I solemnly swear, if Tamil Nadu is impacted by [delimitation], we will ensure that all of India is watching us.”