Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) President MK Stalin on Friday called the delimitation draft bill a ‘calculated deception’ by the central government.
Rejecting the draft bill, the Tamil Nadu chief minister urged the Centre not to rush the bill through in haste.
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“Today is a defining moment in Tamil Nadu’s political history. It is the day we will see the outcome of our relentless resistance against delimitation”, Stalin said.
Amid DMK’s sustained protests over the draft bill, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah have continued to assure in Parliament that Tamil Nadu’s representation will not be reduced.
“But their words say one thing, their actions reveal another. The bill they have introduced is nothing but a calculated deception. We reject it outright. It cannot be trusted. It will not be accepted”, Stalin said.
“At any time, in any manner they choose, they can alter the representation of states to suit their political interests. This so-called legislation is a carefully crafted trap, loaded with dangerous intent.”, he said.
{{/usCountry}}“At any time, in any manner they choose, they can alter the representation of states to suit their political interests. This so-called legislation is a carefully crafted trap, loaded with dangerous intent.”, he said.
{{/usCountry}}He urged that the bill must not be rushed through in ‘haste’ and the Union government must withdraw it in full.
“If they attempt to bulldoze it through Parliament, emboldened by the numbers they have stitched together, and in complete disregard of our opposition, they will face the consequences in Tamil Nadu.” he remarked.
He demanded the same constitutional safeguard that the late former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee provided by freezing the delimitation through constitutional amendment must be ‘restored.’
“What we demand is clear. The same constitutional safeguard that former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee provided by freezing delimitation through constitutional amendment must be restored. The Union BJP government must listen to the voice of Tamil Nadu,” he posted on his official social media account.