Tamil Nadu MPs debate ‘no delimitation’ vs ‘fair delimitation’

Even as DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi called Saturday’s all-party meeting in Chennai on the Delimitation Bill “pointless”, there was broad convergence among participants and those who boycotted it. Of Tamil Nadu’s 57 MPs, 19 attended, including former Union home minister P. Chidambaram, while 36 boycotted the meeting and one Congress MP was out of town.

According to an official release, the meeting decided that all parties should oppose and vote against the proposed Constitutional Amendment Bill on delimitation. Participants also opposed granting sweeping powers to the Delimitation Commission, arguing that Parliament should have the final authority. Chief minister C. Joseph Vijay urged MPs from all political parties to work together to protect Tamil Nadu’s rights.

With 36 of the 57 MPs (39 in the Lok Sabha and 18 in the Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu) representing the DMK and the AIADMK, the two parties which did not attend the meeting, there were no surprises when 19 of the remaining 20 MPs turned up at the meeting. A Congress MP was unable to attend because he was away from the state. The TVK does not have a MP yet but 13 of the 14 Congress MPs (10 in the Lok Sabha and 4 in the Rajya Sabha) turned up and five of them spoke to oppose the Delimitation Bill in any form.

The meeting agreed that the current strength of the Lok Sabha, at 543, should be frozen and called for a more transparent and accountable Delimitation Commission. A resolution to this effect, it was decided, would be presented in the state Assembly, demanding that the number of MPs from Tamil Nadu and other states remain unchanged.

This broadly echoes the positions of the DMK and AIADMK. However, there is a crucial distinction: while both parties have carefully called for a “fair delimitation”, the meeting in Chennai on Saturday, chaired by chief minister Joseph Vijay, called for “no delimitation”.

DMK leader and party spokesperson TKS Elangovan said the party’s demand has always been for “Fair Delimitation”. Speaking to the media, he said, “Delimitation has to be carried out as mandated by the Constitution, but it must be conducted fairly. The rights of the southern states should not be taken away. Until an appropriate framework is evolved to ensure this, the exercise should continue to be based on the 1971 Census.”

“As far as delimitation is concerned, the DMK’s earlier stand remains unchanged. There is nothing further to discuss on this issue. Under the guise of a consultation meeting for MPs, the TVK government is staging a political drama,” said DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi.

With just four days of the Monsoon Session of Parliament remaining, the Union government has neither shared the draft Bill with any political party nor invited them for discussions, she pointed out. She questioned the need for Saturday’s meeting, dismissing it as a “political drama”.

The AIADMK, which has no MPs in the Lok Sabha but has four in the Rajya Sabha, also stayed away, saying the invitation issued by the chief secretary was inappropriate. AIADMK spokespersons, speaking to the media on condition of anonymity, said the invitation should have been extended to the party leadership.