Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched a strong attack on the BJP-led Central government on Saturday, criticizing the delimitation process as being driven by “narrow political interests” rather than constitutional principles.
Speaking at the Joint Action Committee (JAC) meeting in Chennai, Vijayan warned that if delimitation is based solely on population, it would reduce the representation of Kerala and other southern states in Parliament while benefiting northern states where the BJP holds more influence.
“If delimitation is carried out purely on the basis of population, then Kerala and other southern states will suffer, as we have been bringing down our population since 1973,” he said.
The Kerala CM accused the Centre of attempting to destabilize India’s federal structure, stating that its fiscal, cultural, and language policies, along with delimitation, are weakening the democratic framework.
“If our parliamentary representation is reduced while our share of the nation’s wealth also declines, we will face an unprecedented situation where both our rightful share of funds and our political voice diminish simultaneously,” Vijayan warned.
He emphasized that the southern states, along with Odisha, West Bengal, and Punjab, have now united in protest to oppose this move and safeguard their political representation.
The meeting, hosted by Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, saw participation from several opposition leaders, including:
- Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar
- Telangana CM Revanth Reddy
- Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann
- Odisha Congress President Bhakta Charan Das
- BJD Leader Sanjay Kumar Das Burma
Revanth Reddy strongly criticized the delimitation move, stating, “Constituency delimitation is a punishment for performing better.” Meanwhile, BRS leader KT Rama Rao (KTR) hailed Tamil Nadu for taking the lead in organizing the resistance, calling the state “an inspiration for the fight to protect rights.”
CM MK Stalin reaffirmed the opposition’s commitment to fight for a fair delimitation process and proposed forming a legal expert committee to challenge the move.
The Tamil Nadu government has repeatedly clashed with the Centre, not only over delimitation but also on the three-language formula proposed in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
With strong resistance from multiple states, the delimitation debate is now shaping into a major political battle that could redefine India’s electoral landscape.
