'Bigger conspiracy' being hatched to punish southern states through delimitation exercise: Udhayanidhi

The state Youth Welfare and Sports Development minister said south Indian states implemented the population control programme effectively in the 1970s. "A bigger conspiracy is being hatched to punish the Southern States," he added.

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Thursday alleged a "bigger conspiracy" was being hatched to punish the south Indian states for their good performance through the impending delimitation exercise and expressed hope that political parties fighting for state rights will resist the move.
In his address at "The Southern Rising Summit" held by ABP Network here, the state Youth Welfare and Sports Development minister said south Indian states implemented the population control programme effectively in the 1970s. "A bigger conspiracy is being hatched to punish the Southern States for their good performance, through the impending Delimitation exercise of Lok Sabha Constituencies," he said.

"The South Indian States implemented the (population control) program effectively. Their population growth rate slowed, in comparison to states that did not implement the program well, whose population continued to grow at a higher rate. This effectively reduced the population share of the South Indian States. Today, this is being used against us, the south Indian states," he alleged.

The Constitution mandates that each state must receive seats in proportion to its population, and constituencies should be of roughly equal size to the population. The Union Government "pushed" states to reduce population in the 1970s, this principle was kept in abeyance through a constitutional amendment. The amendment to the Constitution passed by the Parliament in 1976, froze the number of seats in the Lok Sabha till 2000, he said.

In 2001, when this issue again came up, the States that were likely to lose seats protested. Due to this protest, the then NDA government piloted another constitutional amendment that extended the freeze for another 25 years- till 2026, he added.

"We are just two years away from the deadline. So, how will this delimitation affect us? It is clear that all five states - Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana - will lose their seat share in Lok Sabha. If delimitation is done without changing the total number of seats in Lok Sabha, Tamil Nadu will lose 8 seats, from the current 39 to 31," he said.
"This is a clear attempt to silence the voice of Southern States," he alleged. TN Chief Minister MK Stalin has called delimitation a "sword hanging over our head. We should be mindful of the conspiracy that is being hatched to take away our rights, and act accordingly."

"I am hopeful that most political parties that are fighting for the state rights will definitely oppose this move. Every right-thinking citizen will confront this move. And, I can guarantee you that DMK will be at the forefront of this people's movement," Udhayanidhi added.

He further alleged the central government was trying to centralise power and encouraging disparities in terms of revenue sharing. "For every 1 rupee Tamil Nadu pays, the state receives only 29 paise...the South is paying higher taxes to the Union government. We are great patriots and among the first to contribute to national development," he said. (PTI)