Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin has sought an urgent meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ahead of his April 6 visit to Rameswaram, to brief his concerns on the proposed delimitation exercise. Stalin has sought time for the meeting along with a delegation of MPs from opposition parties.
“I have requested a meeting with you (Mr. Modi), alongside MPs from various parties, to present our memorandum on the concerns surrounding the proposed delimitation. This follows resolutions from the Joint Action Committee (JAC) for fair Delimitation in Chennai,” Stalin tweeted on X.
Sharing his earlier letter in the tweet, he said the voices that emerged from the March 22 deliberations transcend political boundaries, embodying the concerns of citizens from diverse regions who seek fair representation in a parliamentary democracy. In his March 27 letter to Modi, Stalin had said, “As this issue holds significant importance to our states and citizens, I kindly request a meeting with you to formally submit the Memorandum on behalf of the Joint Action Committee,” Stalin said in the letter.
Stalin’s tweet, reminding his request for an appointment with Modi, comes at a time when the Prime Minister is scheduled to visit Rameswaram to inaugurate the Pamban bridge. Stalin has always been of the opinion that Modi and his BJP have ignored the interests of Tamil Nadu. The DMK in the past two months have raked up every issue that it considers to be of importance to Tamil Nadu and Tamil pride. Be it the strong opposition to New Education Policy (NEP), implementing the two-language formula, opposition to proposed delimitation and also urging the centre to release funds for MNREGA, the DMK has played it to the gallery, making the BJP answer.
The BJP on the other side, which has been struggling to make its presence strong in Tamil Nadu, has been listing out its performance in the state, by way of implementing various projects in Railways and other sectors. And now Stalin’s letter reminding Modi of fair delimitation ahead of his visit is clearly a political strategy to capitalise on the anti-Modi sentiment prevalent in the state.