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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday called for a statewide display of black flags, urging people to unite in what he described as a collective struggle for the rights of Tamil Nadu against the proposed delimitation bill
In a post on X, Stalin said, "Let the black flag fly tomorrow in the homes, streets, and shops of Tamil Nadu! Let it stand as our symbols of resistance at the doorsteps! This is not the struggle of an individual movement; it is the struggle of Tamil Nadu!" He called everyone to come out above party differences to raise a strong and united voice against delimitation. "Therefore, transcending party differences, let us all raise our voices! If we refuse to raise our voices tomorrow, our voice will become worthless in Parliament!" he said. The Tamil Nadu CM further said that he has instructed the district secretaries to ensure that the "necessary black flags" for this struggle reach everyone's homes. This comes as the Opposition parties have expressed their concerns about the proposed delimitation bill, alleging that it will limit the representation of the southern states in the Lok Sabha. Opposition parties have also objected to the government's "rushing" of the bill before the general census. The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, which provides for 33 per cent reservation for women legislators, is linked to the delimitation process in the Lok Sabha. The government is planning to implement the women's reservation ahead of the 2029 General Elections by bringing in an amendment to the 2023 Act and a constitutional amendment to delink the delimitation process from the 2027 census. According to sources, the government has proposed to increase the number of seats in the House to 850, with 815 seats proposed for the States and the remaining 35 for the Union Territories. The Lok Sabha has 543 seats at present. The Centre has called a special sitting of Parliament from April 16 to 18. While the seats in the Lok Sabha will witness a 50 per cent increase, the opposition parties have expressed concern as this increase will not be on a pro-rata basis for each state. The delimitation exercise, under Article 82 of the Constitution, is linked to the population of a constituency. (ANI)
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