CHENNAI: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday extended support to the DMK-led opposition against the proposed delimitation of Parliamentary constituencies and requested his Deputy, DK Shivakumar, to attend the meeting in Chennai to discuss the issue.
In a letter to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, Siddaramaiah stated that he would be unable to attend the meeting due to prior commitments.
"I have received your letter dated March 7, which raises crucial issues regarding the autonomy of states, with serious implications for the principles governing our polity. In particular, the issue of delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies based on new population benchmarks needs to be discussed at length by like-minded states. Although I would like to participate in the meeting, due to my prior commitments, I am unable to do so," he wrote in the letter dated March 13.
However, acknowledging the importance of the meeting scheduled for March 22, the Chief Minister stated, "I have requested Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar to participate in the deliberations."
On Wednesday, Tamil Nadu Forest Minister K Ponmudy and Rajya Sabha MP Mohammed Abdullah Ismail met Siddaramaiah at his residence, Cauvery, to discuss the ongoing protests against the "anti-democratic and anti-Southern stance of the central government."
During the meeting with the DMK delegation, the Chief Minister condemned the Centre’s alleged attempt to "weaken democracy and federalism."
The DMK has been reaching out to leaders of various parties, including those within the NDA, such as Chandrababu Naidu, to discuss the delimitation issue.