Pinarayi lashes out against delimitation

Fight should be united: Sudhakaran

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @T'Puram

TERMING the Union government's delimitation move politically motivated to help the BJP, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has warned that the proposed delimitation could drastically reduce the representation of southern states in Parliament, punishing them for successfully implementing population control policies.

Speaking at the Joint Action Committee (JAC) meeting in Chennai on Saturday, he said the delimitation process was a 'Sword of Damocles' hanging over states, which is being pushed forward without consultation. "The Union government's actions, from fiscal policies to language policies to cultural policies and now even the fixation of representation, are destabilising India's federal system and democratic framework. This cannot be allowed to pass," he said.

Pinarayi stressed that federalism was not a privilege granted by the Union but a constitutional right of the states. "Our collective resistance is not just about seats. It is a fight to preserve India's soul as a diverse and inclusive democracy," he said.

At the JAC meeting against delimitation, convened by Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin, Pinarayi urged the Centre to refrain from unilateral decisions. He alleged that the BJP government at the Centre was moving ahead with delimitation without consultation, driven by political motives rather than democratic principles.

"If delimitation is undertaken after the Census, northern states will see a large increase in seats, while southern states will face a significant reduction. This benefits the BJP, which holds greater influence in the north. If representation is determined purely by population, Kerala and other southern states will suffer, despite having responsibly controlled population growth since 1973," he said.