New Delhi: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is not against delimitation, but the exercise should be fair to everybody, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Lok Sabha MP and chief of DMK parliamentary party told ThePrint in an interview Monday.
“Come out with some formula…. When you say delimitation will be done on a pro rata basis, give us clarity about it. Let us have a discussion. We are going to request time to meet with the prime minister. It’s a resolution that was passed in the joint action committee meeting Saturday, out of concern from many states,” the DMK MP said.
DMK, the ruling party in Tamil Nadu, hosted the Joint Action Committee (JAC) meeting in Chennai Saturday, where representatives from six opposition parties gathered to discuss the implications of the Centre’s proposed delimitation exercise based on population.
The proposed delimitation exercise has become a bone of contention between the DMK and the Centre over the former’s concern that a population-based delimitation will penalise states, which have successfully managed to control their population growth.
“I think the most important thing is that till there is a balance achieved across the country in controlling population, it’s unfair to some states, which have controlled population. So, till that happens, we have to have a freeze. That is what we’ve requested for, or you know, an amendment or a change, where nobody is going to be affected. A fair delimitation,” Kanimozhi said.
The BJP, she said, does not believe in the rights of the states. “The BJP government does not care about the rights, about the identity, about the feelings of the people in the states. They just want to create an India, which is homogenised and I think they’re very open about it. One nation, one election, one ration card, one language, one religion…they want to do away with the diversity of this country,” she said.
The Lok Sabha MP further added, “Delimitation is taking away from states, which are not going to support the BJP, which are not actually with the BJP, and they don’t vote for the BJP. This is definitely a question, which is looming large in the minds of many. Whether actually a population-based delimitation is or will become an exercise to reduce the number of seats in states, where BJP is not accepted,” she said.
‘Not trying to create south vs north divide’
The Lok Sabha MP further said it is wrong to say that if affected states come together to voice their concerns over the delimitation issue, it creates a south versus north divide.
“It’s convenient for parties like BJP to create a divide because they are used to creating divides to be in power. But this is definitely not south versus north because in the JAC meeting, the Punjab CM was also there. States, which will get affected were represented,” she said.
Kanimozhi added that it (delimitation) is actually a concern for many states, which have controlled population.
“I’m sure Northeast will be losing, and states like Haryana will get affected. Many other states are concerned about what is going to happen if there’s going to be delimitation based on population. So, I think it is wrong to say this creates another divide between parties, which come together with concern.”
The Lok Sabha MP said that the Centre should look at a fair way of doing delimitation so that nobody gets affected.
“Or freeze it till there is a balance in population. That is why it was done in the first place because some states had a large population. It is not an impossible thing like Andhra Pradesh, when the first time there was a freeze put, their population was a growing population. Today it’s come down to 9 percent,” she said.
On whether all opposition parties are on the same page on the delimitation issue, Kanimozhi said, “I would like to clarify one thing. See, it is not that all the opposition parties were invited to the JAC meeting. It was states, which will get affected that were invited.
None of the opposition parties from north India attended the JAC meeting. Opposition parties from Maharashtra also skipped the meeting. So did Trinamool Congress from West Bengal.
“We did not call Maharashtra because I don’t think they will be affected. Trinamool Congress was invited but they also have other concerns about the EPIC (elector photo identification card) issue. So, they’re concentrating on that and I’m sure they also understand that this is a larger issue. So, it’s not that they did not want to come, or they’re not with us,” Kanimozhi said.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has alleged that BJP colluded with the Election Commission to add fake voters to the electoral rolls ahead of next year’s assembly election in the state.
On BJP calling it a political drama, the Lok Sabha MP said, “They have to keep saying things like this because they have failed even to address what is happening in Manipur. None of the BJP leaders have found time, or have the heart to go and see what is happening there. They have not been able to resolve the issue. I don’t think anybody in the BJP has a right to talk about any other state.”
‘Not just Hindi, DMK against imposition of any language’
On the Centre’s mandate to implement the three-language formula, which includes Hindi, under the National Education Policy, 2020 that Tamil Nadu has refused to accept, Kanimozhi said the DMK is not against any particular language.
“We are against imposing any language on anybody,” she said.
Questioning the Centre’s rationale of bringing in a three-language policy, she asked, “Why do you want to impose and say that everybody in this country has to learn Hindi? Why should Hindi be the link language? If a child or a family decides that there is a need for them to learn any particular language, let them learn it. It should be a choice. I don’t think anybody has a right to say that you have to learn something to be Indian. I don’t know Hindi, but I’m as Indian as you are or anybody who speaks Hindi.”
Kanimozhi added, “…. One thing you should understand is, it is not today, and it is just not the DMK. The people of Tamil Nadu have lost lives when they fought against Hindi imposition. It is from the 30s that we’ve been fighting against Hindi imposition.”
‘Our leaders have raised issues about federal rights’
When asked if framing the delimitation debate as a federal issue has allowed Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin to rise above regional politics, Kanimozhi said that the DMK has always focused on national concerns, not just state issues.
“Even when our founder leader Perarignar (C.N. Annadurai, DMK founder and Tamil Nadu’s first CM) was here, he was in Parliament. He has raised issues about federal rights, state rights, and issues concerning the entire country, and the same way, when Kalaignar (Former state CM and towering DMK leader M. Karunanidhi) was leading the party also. He was very clear about the DMK’s stand on not just language but federal rights and issues concerning the country and protecting democracy,” she said.
The Lok Sabha MP added that it is not something new that DMK is talking about national issues and about larger concerns beyond Tamil Nadu.
“Right from when he became the leader of the party, Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin raised concerns about pressing national issues, like Manipur. He has spoken not only about what’s happening in Manipur but other issues that concern the country. He opposed it when the farmers’ bill came up…,” she said.
Kanimozhi said that Stalin has now brought together leaders from across opposition parties on a common platform to voice their concerns against the proposed delimitation exercise.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
Watch CutTheClutter: Why delimitation hangs like a ‘sword of Damocles’ & not just over southern states
