DMK MP Kanimozhi slammed Congress over its criticism of the party's boycott of a delimitation meeting. She asserted the DMK stands for "fair delimitation" and not any move that would reduce Tamil Nadu's voice, reminding Congress of the DMK's history.
"We are not completely against delimitation. We are asking for a fair delimitation. During the election, DMK President and that time CM MK Stalin had made it clear that protecting Tamil Nadu was more important than electoral victory. More than winning the election, we need to protect the rights of Tamil Nadu. That is our aim and our leader's aim," Kanimozhi said.
DMK's history of standing for Tamil identity
Kanimozhi said that Congress has lost sight of the DMK's own history of resisting threats to Tamil identity, including, at times, from the Congress itself. "Unfortunately, I think the Congress has forgotten the history of DMK and Congress in Tamil Nadu. We have stood against the Congress also on many occasions over the past many decades. Every time they try to become a threat to democracy, to our language, to our identity, it has been the DMK that fought against it. We know who has let down the Tamil people, and we know that DMK has always stood with the people of Tamil Nadu, and we will continue fighting. We don't need anybody else to tell us who we are," she said in a press conference.
Cites past assembly resolution
Defending the party's long-standing position on delimitation, Kanimozhi pointed to an earlier resolution passed in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, which she said had drawn support even from the Congress. She further said, "We had passed a resolution in the Assembly, and we had invited Chief Ministers from five different states to participate in the meeting... two Congress representatives were also there at the meeting and accepted the resolution passed. The entire meeting was about fair delimitation, and that is the stand of DMK then; that is the stand of DMK now. We have not changed." She is likely referring to when MK Stalin moved two resolutions in the Tamil Nadu assembly in February 2024, one that spoke against the 'One Nation, One Election' policy and the second against delimitation based on a fresh census.
'Meeting a diversion from Mekedatu issue'
Kanimozhi also questioned the purpose and outcome of the Chief Minister's meeting, alleging it was intended to shift public attention away from the Mekedatu dam issue with Karnataka. "32 MPs did not participate in the meeting and there is no clarity yet on the outcome of today's meeting convened by the Chief Minister on delimitation. This MPs' meeting has been convened with the intention of diverting attention from the Mekedatu dam issue in Tamil Nadu," she said.
"We are not completely against delimitation. We are asking for a fair delimitation. During the election, DMK President and that time CM MK Stalin had made it clear that protecting Tamil Nadu was more important than electoral victory. More than winning the election, we need to protect the rights of Tamil Nadu. That is our aim and our leader's aim," Kanimozhi said.
She also alleged that the state's administrative machinery had been enlisted to push MPs toward attending. "TN Government Chief Secretary is functioning like a secretary of the TVK headquarters and is directly calling MPs and sending letters to attend the meeting," she said.
'No urgency for a meeting'
Explaining the DMK's decision to skip the meeting altogether, Kanimozhi argued there was no real urgency to justify it, with Parliament's session nearing its end and no fresh consultation initiated by the Centre on the proposed delimitation exercise. "We could have participated in the meeting if there was a need because, according to what is happening in Parliament, there are only four more days of session. The Union Government has not invited any of the political parties... to discuss the new delimitation bill... There's not been any discussion. So there is no need for us to have a meeting about delimitation when the bill is not going to be brought. We find it pointless," she said.
She added that the party saw more pressing matters demanding attention. "There are more important issues, like Mekedatu, which have to be discussed," Kanimozhi said.
Kanimozhi's remarks come after several Congress MPs criticised the DMK and AIADMK for staying away from the meeting convened by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay in Chennai on Saturday. Out of Tamil Nadu's 57 MPs, around 21 attended the session, with the DMK's 30 MPs, the AIADMK's four, and MPs from the PMK and DMDK staying away. The DMK has previously said the TVK government had failed to clarify its own stand on delimitation or lay out an agenda before calling the meeting.
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