Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin launched a strong protest against the proposed delimitation bill by burning a copy of the legislation during a demonstration in Namakkal. The bill is expected to be introduced in the special session of Parliament beginning Thursday.
The protest comes amid opposition from southern states, which argue that the proposed delimitation exercise could significantly reduce their parliamentary representation. Stalin accused the Centre of pushing a move that would adversely impact the political voice of Tamil Nadu and other southern states.
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Following his protest, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) announced a statewide agitation involving black flag demonstrations and symbolic burning of bill copies. As part of the campaign, Stalin urged people to hoist black flags at their homes and business establishments for three days. The protest began with black flags being displayed at the Gopalapuram residence of former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi.
Speaking on social media platform X, Stalin said the movement would spread across Tamil Nadu and described it as a resistance against what he termed an “unfair” and “authoritarian” decision. He said the agitation would ultimately weaken the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre.
Drawing parallels with the anti-Hindi agitation of the 1950s and 1960s, Stalin said Tamil Nadu had historically led major resistance movements that influenced national policy. He claimed the same spirit of protest was being revived through the current agitation against delimitation.
Stalin further stated that the proposed changes would severely impact representation and described it as an attempt to marginalise Tamil voices. He said the protests would continue until the Centre reconsidered its stance, adding that the movement would “spread across the Dravidian land” and force a reversal of the decision.
The DMK’s escalation signals growing political tension between Tamil Nadu and the Centre ahead of the parliamentary debate on the bill.
