Raising the delimitation issue once again on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in the state, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday called it a “grand conspiracy” and said the PM should “allay the legitimate fears” of the people of the state. Stalin was speaking in Udhagamandalam, where he inaugurated some government projects including the new Udhagamandalam Government Medical College and Hospital. He said he had informed beforehand that he would not be attending the Pamban event, where Modi inaugurated the country’s first vertical lift sea bridge, and deputed senior ministers Thangam Thennarasu and R S Rajakannappan instead. “I urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allay the legitimate fears of the people of Tamil Nadu and other southern states that the next delimitation exercise would not lead to fewer parliamentary seats for these states. This is a concern not just about reduced parliamentary seats but also about our rights and future well-being,” he said. “So what they are doing now is conspiring to reduce the number of parliamentary seats in Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu was the first state to raise its voice against the grand conspiracy being planned in the name of delimitation,” Stalin said. He said 22 parties from seven states had formed a ‘Joint Action Committee on Fair Delimitation’ and had written to the PM, requesting a meeting on the issue. “I expect the Prime Minister to schedule a meeting soon,” Stalin said. Speaking at a separate event on Sunday, Stalin also raised the NEET issue (National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for admission to medical colleges) and questioned AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami’s stand on this. “I dare Palaniswami to get an assurance from the BJP that Tamil Nadu will be exempted from NEET before he enters into an alliance with them,” Stalin said, responding to Palaniswami’s recent statement on the DMK's “historical responsibility” for NEET-related student deaths. “As far as I recall, NEET was not introduced in Tamil Nadu during the tenure of former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi. It was not even introduced during the tenure of the AIADMK’s J Jayalalithaa, but only when Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam were at the helm as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister,” Stalin said. He pointed to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s recent statement that, if elected, a Congress-led government would allow states to opt out of NEET. “I want Palaniswami to first get such an assurance from the Union Government before he allies with the BJP,” he said. Stalin also targeted the AIADMK on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill which was passed by Parliament. While DMK MPs A Raja and Tiruchi N Siva spoke for 30 and 20 minutes respectively, opposing the Bill in Parliament, AIADMK’s M Thambidurai “only spoke for one minute on the issue, without offering any clarity on whether the party supported or opposed the Bill,” he said.
