CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution against delimitation, urging the Union govt to permanently freeze Lok Sabha strength at 543 and implement 33% reservation for women within the existing strength from the next Lok Sabha election. The principal opposition DMK backed the resolution while AIADMK, PMK, BJP and DMK ally DMDK opposed it during the voice vote.Three prominent AIADMK rebels — S P Velumani, Natham R Viswanathan and C Ve Shanmugam — were absent when the resolution was taken up.Chief minister C Joseph Vijay, who moved the resolution, demanded that the existing 543:245 ratio between Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha be maintained and the inter-state distribution of seats remain unchanged.Vijay said implementing delimitation based on the 2011 Census would permanently reduce the representation of states such as Tamil Nadu that had effectively controlled population growth. He said the 33% reservation for women should be implemented without delay based on the existing 543 Lok Sabha seats.“This is not a political party’s resolution. It is a resolution to safeguard Tamil Nadu’s rights permanently. I appeal to all members, cutting across political lines and differences, to support it,” Vijay said.Leader of opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin backed the resolution on behalf of DMK, saying his party and its leader M K Stalin were the first to oppose delimitation based on the 2011 Census and warn of its long-term impact on states such as Tamil Nadu.He cited steps taken by the previous DMK govt, including convening an all-party meeting and forming a joint action committee to protect the interests of Tamil Nadu and other southern states.“At the all-party meeting, a decision was taken to seek fair delimitation while maintaining the state’s proportionate share of 7.18%. The DMK’s firm opposition in Parliament led to the defeat of the Bill,” he said, adding that the party welcomed the resolution.Ministers Vanniarasu (VCK), P Viswanathan (Congress) and A M Shajahan supported the resolution on behalf of their parties. Viswanathan compared the proposed delimitation exercise with demonetisation, saying the Centre had bypassed procedures before announcing the note ban and could do the same with delimitation.AIADMK floor leader Edappadi K Palaniswami questioned the need for the resolution when no delimitation Bill had been reintroduced in Parliament. He said AIADMK’s stand that Tamil Nadu’s proportionate representation should not be affected had prompted Union home minister Amit Shah to assure Parliament on April 14 that the state’s representation would be protected.
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Palaniswami cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assurance that the interests of southern states would not be affected. He questioned the urgency behind the resolution and termed it politically motivated.PMK legislator A Ganeshkumar echoed AIADMK’s stand and demanded that TVK govt withdraw the resolution. DMDK’s lone MLA, Premallatha Vijayakanth, questioned the need for rushing through it when no Bill had been reintroduced in Parliament. She joined AIADMK and PMK in opposing the resolution during the voice vote.Speaker J C D Prabhakar described the resolution a “pre-emptive move” by the Vijay govt. He said it showed that the CM had the “ability and intelligence” to guard against a possible future threat and said it had been passed with the support of the majority.
