TV
A key meeting of different political parties, led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, was convened in Chennai to express opposition against the Union Government's plans to delimit the constituency boundaries based on population, on Saturday. BJD has opposed the Union Govt's move, but BJP termed it 'beneficial' for Odisha.
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This initiative is perceived to impact states such as Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, West Bengal, and Chhattisgarh.
The meeting saw participation from members of various Opposition parties, including figures like Sanjay Das Burma and Amar Patnaik from Odisha's Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
Stalin articulated concerns that the proposed boundary adjustments might skew political representation to favour more populous states, potentially diminishing the political influence of southern Indian states.
Tamil Nadu's BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) leader Annamalai contested these apprehensions, asserting that no state would experience adverse effects from the planned changes.
Nevertheless, the BJD has articulated its resistance with the BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik advocating that population counts alone should not dictate the delimitation, highlighting Odisha's success in population management. He called for thorough consultations with all political parties before any implementations.
In contrast, the BJP has described opposition to the delimitation exercise as mere political tactics, underlining it as a regular procedure that will serve long-term regional interests, including those in Odisha.
While the Opposition voices raise alarms over potential north-south inequalities that these changes might intensify, the BJP assures that there will be no detrimental outcomes.
Opinions of different leaders
“It is not limited to the southern states alone; but will even affect other states like Punjab, Odisha, and many more. Basically speaking, delimitation is based on population and 2021 census has not been done yet,” senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said.
“When in the Parliament, our government talks about delimitation, it is our responsibility to clarify. Take everybody along. To which we will clarify. Stalin says ‘No, no I (Stalin) was given the information that Tamil Nadu will lose 11 seats.’ Who gave him the information?” reacting to this, Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai questioned.
Back in Odisha, BJD supremo stated, “Delimitation based only on population figures will be unfair to the states who have worked hard to reduce their population growth rates in line with national priorities. Odisha has done well successfully reducing its fertility rates over the years.”
“Hence, it is our stand that population should not be the only criteria to determine the number of seats in the highest representative body of our country. Certainly, I suggest that the Union Government to take up a detailed discussion with all the parties so as to remove any doubts on this very important issue that has far-reaching implications for our democracy,” Patnaik expressed.
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“The basis, on which delimitation is to be carried out, will benefit Odisha. If he (Naveen) is opposing such a move, it means that he is against the people of the State. Odisha would get more seats and women will have a fare share of it too. Odisha is not going to lose in any way,” Kandhamal BJP MP Sukanta Panigrahi countered.
