Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India]: The Tamil Nadu unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged a protest against the MK Stalin-led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government, accusing it of compromising the state’s rights to other states. The protest, led by BJP state president K Annamalai, saw party workers displaying black flags and placards in opposition to the Stalin administration.
The demonstrators also waved black flags at Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar over the contentious Mekedatu project as he arrived in Chennai to attend the first Joint Action Committee Meeting on delimitation.
Annamalai Accuses Stalin of Political Drama
Speaking to reporters, Annamalai criticized Chief Minister Stalin for what he called a “drama” over the delimitation issue, asserting that it was not a real problem for Tamil Nadu.
“Our state has various issues with neighboring states. With Kerala, we have the Mullaperiyar Dam issue. Karnataka has opposed the Metro line towards Hosur from the Karnataka border. On multiple occasions, our CM has not raised these issues when visiting neighboring states. But today, he has called all CMs and is doing drama on delimitation, which is not even a problem at all,” Annamalai said.
He further accused the DMK government of failing to safeguard Tamil Nadu’s interests, stating, “Across Tamil Nadu, BJP is holding protests with black flags against DMK for giving up our rights to other states.”
Opposition Leaders Gather for Delimitation Talks
The meeting, convened by Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, has brought together leaders from several opposition parties, including:
- Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy
- Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann
- Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao
- Odisha Congress President Bhakta Charan Das
- Biju Janata Dal leader Sanjay Kumar Das Burma
The DMK-led Tamil Nadu government has been at odds with the central government over multiple issues, including the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020’s three-language formula and the proposed delimitation exercise.
Stalin’s Call for Federal Unity
Ahead of the meeting, Stalin took to social media, calling it a historic moment in the fight to protect India’s federal structure.
“Today will be etched in history as the day when states that have contributed to our nation’s development came together to safeguard its federal structure by ensuring #FairDelimitation. I warmly welcome all Chief Ministers and political leaders to this meeting, united in our commitment to #FairDelimitation,” Stalin posted on X.
Earlier, Stalin had convened an all-party meeting in Tamil Nadu to discuss the impact of delimitation, which was boycotted by the BJP.
The political battle over delimitation and state rights continues to escalate, with the BJP and DMK locked in a heated exchange over governance, federalism, and regional priorities.