CHENNAI: The Opposition DMK on Friday (August 7) said the party had no hesitation in participating in the State government's consultative meeting on the BJP-led central government's proposed delimitation exercise.
In a statement, DMK general secretary Duraimurugan said the party's stance was clear that any delimitation exercise should be carried out fairly and should not affect Tamil Nadu's interests or its representation.
Duraimurugan said the party remained firm on the stand adopted at the all-party meeting convened by the then DMK-led government in March last year.
"No political party has the sole authority to advise on the issue of delimitation of constituencies. The DMK was the first party to raise this issue, and party president MK Stalin coordinated like-minded political parties on it," Duraimurugan said.
He, however, said the TVK-led government should convene an all-party meeting on the Mekedatu dam issue, similar to the one conducted in Karnataka.
"The DMK has no hesitation in participating in the TVK government's meeting on delimitation, as our stand has already been made clear. However, the TVK-led government remains silent on the Mekedatu dam issue, apparently to avoid hurting its new ally, the Congress," Duraimurugan alleged, pointing out that the government is not heeding demands to convene an all-party meeting on the inter-state water sharing issue.
He said Tamil Nadu should express its united stand on the Mekedatu issue and urged the government not to indulge in what he termed "diversionary politics," casting aspersions on the decision to convene a meeting of all MPs over delimitation even as the party didn't yield to a similar demand on the Cauvery and Mekedatu issues.