Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India]: BJP leader CR Kesavan has accused the ruling DMK government of using the delimitation issue as a distraction to divert public attention from its alleged failures and corruption in Tamil Nadu. He also criticized the Congress party for its contradictory stance on the matter.
Ahead of the Joint Action Committee meeting on delimitation, convened by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Kesavan said,
“DMK staging this delimitation drama is a diversionary tactic to deflect public attention from DMK’s corrupt, failed, disastrous misrule. DMK’s divisive politics of fear-mongering, attempting to mislead and misinform the public, will badly boomerang on the party itself.”
Congress Criticized for Contradictory Stand
Kesavan also took aim at the Congress, accusing Rahul Gandhi and his party of political opportunism. He highlighted what he called a contradiction between the Congress’ stance on delimitation and Rahul Gandhi’s slogan “jitni abadi, utna haath,” which advocates rights based on population.
“Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party, with their mutually conflicting and contradicting stance, are indulging in a pathetic politics of opportunism, which is utterly condemnable. Like a chameleon changes its colours, the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi have differing and conflicting stands on the delimitation,” said Kesavan.
He further pointed out,
“The core agenda of today’s Joint Action Committee meeting is opposition to delimitation based on population. However, Rahul Gandhi directly contradicts this when he gives his clarion call on ‘jitni abadi, utna haath.’ This contradiction and hypocrisy is now very clearly seen by the country.”
DMK Accused of Political Opportunism
Kesavan accused the DMK of using issues like the National Education Policy (NEP) and delimitation as political tools to divert attention from governance failures over the past four years.
“DMK should call Rahul Gandhi’s bluff and break their alliance with the Congress party, but they won’t do that because they are also complete political opportunists. The DMK’s drama with the NEP and delimitation is a way of distracting attention from their failure in the state in the past four years,” he stated.
Opposition Leaders Gather for Joint Action Committee Meeting
Meanwhile, leaders from several opposition parties have started arriving in Chennai for the first Joint Action Committee meeting on delimitation. The MK Stalin-led Tamil Nadu government is positioning the issue as an attack on federalism by the BJP-led central government.
The meeting, convened by CM MK Stalin, includes Chief Ministers and political leaders from multiple states. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar reached Chennai on Saturday to represent the Karnataka government in the discussions.
Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin has called for a united opposition stance against delimitation, inviting representatives from various political parties. He wrote to Chief Ministers of seven states, including both NDA-ruled and opposition states, urging them to join the fight against what he called an “unfair exercise.”
Stalin Defends Stand on Delimitation
Stalin reiterated that fair delimitation is not just about representation in Parliament but also about protecting Tamil Nadu’s rights.
“Fair delimitation is the talk of the town right now. Why has the DMK brought this to focus? Because in 2026, delimitation will happen. And if the delimitation exercise is carried out based on population, our representation in Parliament will be severely affected. This is not just about the number of MPs but about our State’s rights. This is why we have convened a meeting of all parties. Except for the BJP, every other party stood together as one,” Stalin said in a video posted on X.
Earlier, the Tamil Nadu government had called an all-party meeting to discuss the potential impact of delimitation on the state. The BJP, however, boycotted the meeting.