CHENNAI: If the BJP-led Union government proceeded with the delimitation exercise that could adversely affect Tamil Nadu or favour the northern States, the whole country would witness the “spirit of the DMK of the 1950s and 1960s”, Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin warned Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday.
The Centre should not assume that it could carry out the exercise quietly during the election period, Stalin said, invoking the legacy of the DMK's early decades, a time when the party was on the warpath against the then central government.
Terming delimitation in the proposed form as a grave danger that has reached the doorstep of Tamil Nadu, Stalin accused the Centre of attempting to push through a Constitutional amendment during the "forcibly convened" special session of Parliament scheduled for April 16. The discussion is coming at a time when the opposition-ruled Tamil Nadu and West Bengal were going to polls, and was an attempt to "bulldoze" the proposal without adequate consultation, he said.
He said efforts by Parliamentarians from various parties to seek an appointment to meet Prime Minister Modi was denied, while concerns had been raised by Congress Parliamentary Party leader Sonia Gandhi was yet to evoke a response from the Centre. "Without consulting not just the DMK, but any political party or any State, they are attempting to proceed unilaterally," he said.
Describing the move as a "blatant assault on democracy" and on the rights of States, he said the lack of clarity on the proposed Constitutional amendment had deepened suspicion and concern among people in southern states.
Stalin warned that Tamil Nadu would not remain silent if its interests were affected. "Tamil Nadu will come to a standstill. Every family will take to the streets. Under my leadership, we will organise a massive agitation," he said.
Calling it a "warning" rather than a threat, Stalin cited the ideals of CN Annadurai and M Karunanidhi, and said the principles, self-respect and the rights of States were paramount.
"Hon'ble Prime Minister, this is the final warning issued from Tamil Nadu," he said, adding that elections and power were secondary to the State's principles.