The DMK will not attend a meeting of Tamil Nadu MPs called by Chief Minister Joseph Vijay on the issue of delimitation on Saturday in Chennai.
Party Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi made the party’s position clear in a post on X, calling the meeting convened by Vijay a “charade” to divert attention from the Cauvery water issue.
Maintaining that the DMK has “steadfastly opposed” delimitation, Kanimozhi stated that there has been no official announcement by the Union Government regarding bringing the bill in the ongoing session.
“The DMK, led by our leader Thiru @mkstalin, remains steadfast in its earlier stance regarding the protection of Tamil Nadu’s representation and the need for #FairDelimitation. There has been no official announcement from the Union Government stating that the delimitation bill will be passed during the current parliamentary session. Furthermore, the revised draft bill has not yet been made available to us,” she posted, questioning the timing and need for the meeting called by the Chief Minister.
She added that when parties have already clearly stated their position on delimitation, what is the need for the meeting?
“We have already articulated Tamil Nadu’s position on this matter through resolutions passed in previous all-party meetings. Given that the parties which unanimously adopted those resolutions still hold the same stance, what is the necessity for the meeting convened by the Chief Minister? Is the intention to persuade those parties to alter their established position?”
The DMK leader further attacked the Vijay government for trying to divert attention from the protests over the Cauvery issue.
“At a time when protests regarding the #CauveryIssue are ongoing, the all-party meeting convened today by the TVK government – without addressing the #MekedatuDam issue – is merely a charade designed to divert attention from the Cauvery dispute. Therefore, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) will not participate in today’s meeting called by the TVK government, which has disregarded the unanimous demand of Tamil Nadu’s political parties.”
The DMK has been demanding an all-party meeting on the Cauvery and Mekedatu dam issue and has been attacking the Vijay government for ignoring the demand.
On Friday, when Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin raised the Mekedatu issue, Chief Minister Vijay said that it was he who proposed holding talks with neighbouring Karnataka on the Cauvery issue (Mekedatu), considering there was some hope for a positive outcome.
The Chief Minister had declared in the Assembly that he did not wish to indulge in cheap politics on the issue.
Kanimozhi on Saturday asked if Vijay would send a delegation to the Union Water Resources Minister to submit the Tamil Nadu Assembly resolution against the Mekedatu dam.
“If there is genuine concern for farmers, is the Chief Minister prepared to send representatives of the Tamil Nadu government – alongside the state’s MPs – to meet the Union Minister for Water Resources in person and submit the resolution against the Mekedatu Dam that we passed in the Legislative Assembly?” the DMK MP posted.
Earlier, DMK’s former allies who are now part of the Vijay government – Congress and the Left – had urged Stalin’s party to attend the meet and send a united message to the Centre against delimitation.
Congress MP Manickam Tagore said in a statement: “Those who place their politics above Tamil Nadu’s interests may choose not to attend. But those who put Tamil Nadu first, and politics second, will attend the all-party meeting convened by the Chief Minister.”
