Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], August 8 (ANI): Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Parliamentary Party leader Kanimozhi on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the TVK government, terming the all-party meeting on delimitation convened by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay as a “drama” intended to divert public attention from the ongoing Cauvery water crisis.
In a post on social media platform X, Kanimozhi alleged that the TVK government was using the delimitation issue as a political shield.
“While protests are ongoing for the Cauvery issue, today’s all-party meeting is merely a drama staged by the TVK government to divert attention from the Cauvery issue, instead of convening a meeting against the Mekedatu Dam,” she remarked.
Kanimozhi stated that the state’s position on delimitation is already well-established and questioned the timing of the Chief Minister’s initiative.
“The DMK, led by our leader Mr MK Stalin, remains steadfast in its previous position regarding the protection of Tamil Nadu’s representation and fair delimitation. Tamil Nadu’s stance on this matter has already been clearly stated in the resolutions of previous all-party meetings,” Kanimozhi said,
She questioned the intent behind the new meeting, suggesting it might be an attempt to force a shift in the existing consensus.
“When the parties that unanimously passed those resolutions still hold the same view, what is the necessity for the meeting called by the Chief Minister? Is it to change the stance of those parties from their previous position?” she asked.
Challenging the Chief Minister to take concrete action on the irrigation crisis, Kanimozhi said, “If there is genuine concern for farmers, is the Chief Minister ready to send representatives of the Tamil Nadu government, along with the state’s MPs, to personally meet the Union Minister for Water Resources and submit the resolution passed in the Legislative Assembly against the Mekedatu Dam?”
The meeting was called by CM Vijay to formulate a unified state response to the proposed delimitation exercise, which has raised concerns over the potential reduction of parliamentary seats for southern states.
Out of the state’s 57 MPs, only 20 are expected to attend the session, while 37 have opted to stay away, signalling a lack of consensus on the Chief Minister’s initiative.
According to the attendance details, the 20 MPs participating in the meeting primarily represent the Congress and its smaller allies. The expected attendees include 12 from the Congress, two each from the VCK, CPI, and CPI(M), and one each from the MDMK and IUML.
On the other hand, the boycott is led by the ruling DMK, with all its 30 MPs absent from the meeting. The main opposition, AIADMK, has also skipped the event with its four MPs. Other parties joining the boycott include the PMK, MNM, and DMDK, with one MP each.
Kanimozhi emphasised that the Union Government has not yet made any official announcement regarding the Delimitation Act in the current parliamentary session, nor has an amended draft bill been received, making the Chief Minister’s urgent meeting appear redundant. (ANI)
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