DMK deputy general secretary Kanimozhi on Friday questioned the Tamil Nadu government’s decision to convene a meeting of the state’s MPs, asking what the purpose and “background” of the meeting was.
She said there was no need to call such a discussion when it was not even clear whether any amendments had been made to the Lok Sabha constituency delimitation bill. The DMK, she reiterated, remains firm that delimitation should be based on the 1971 population and that Tamil Nadu’s current share of representation in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha should not be reduced.
Kanimozhi said the party would welcome an increase in the number of Tamil Nadu MPs, as long as the state’s existing representation is not cut. She added that if the Union government planned to introduce a fresh bill in Parliament, it would normally consult all party leaders, but no one had spoken to the DMK about making changes to the delimitation proposal.
According to her, the DMK has been informed that there is no possibility of the bill being introduced in the current Parliament session. In that context, she asked why the meeting was called, who was behind it, and who was “driving” the state government.
She also criticised the process followed for the meeting, alleging that Chief Secretary Saikumar sent separate letters directly to individual MPs instead of writing to party leaders. Kanimozhi further rejected the argument that increasing the number of MPs would reduce speaking time in Parliament, noting that time is allotted based on party strength.
