Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], June 6 : Reiterating his attack on the Centre over Census and Delimitation, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, on Friday, said that the Census delay is "no accident" and the delimitation plan is "no coincidence".
Despite the assurance from Home Minister Amit Shah, CM Stalin asserted that a clear parliamentary commitment and a suitable constitutional amendment are what are needed to address the concerns of southern states on delimitation.
"The #Census delay is no accident. The #delimitation plan is no coincidence. The danger I warned of is at our doorstep," Stalin said in a post on X.
"The Ministry of Home Affairs claims that the concerns of affected states will be addressed. But these are vague remarks. What is needed is a clear parliamentary commitment and a suitable constitutional amendment," he said.
The Tamil Nadu CM claimed that there is a "sinister design" in how the BJP-led Union Government is implementing the national Census and the subsequent delimitation.
"Developed states, especially in the non-Hindi speaking South, which followed population control norms, will now be punished. Meanwhile, states that disregarded population control for decades are set to gain more seats in Parliament. This unfair shift skews the federal balance and rewards irresponsibility," MK Stalin said.
Alleging the track record of the BJP, Stalin cited the example of Jammu and Kashmir, as how the Centre spoke of restoring statehood to J-K, but it still remains a Union Territory.
"Just look at what happened after Article 370 was abrogated. The Union Government spoke of restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. Elections were held. Assurances were given in the Supreme Court. Yet, Jammu and Kashmir remains a Union Territory. This is the track record of the BJP we are dealing with," Tamil Nadu CM said.
Further, MK Stalin said that if the Union Government proceeds with delimitation based on the 2027 census, the democratic power of peninsular India will be reduced to "irrelevance."
"Even if betrayers like the ADMK choose to kneel before the BJP for their political survival, the people of Tamil Nadu, led by the DMK, will never allow our state to be punished for its progress. Tamil Nadu will fight! Tamil Nadu will win!" Stalin emphasised.
Earlier on Thursday, the Ministry of Home Affairs clarified that Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on many occasions, has assured that in the delimitation exercise, concerns of Southern states will be taken care of.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Home Affairs, in a post on X, said, "Budget has never been a constraint for Census as fund is always ensured by the Government. HM Amit Shah has clarified on many occasions that in the delimitation exercise, concerns of southern states will be taken care of and discussed with all concerned at an appropriate time."
On Wednesday, the central government announced that the Population Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases and will also include the enumeration of castes.
According to the MHA statement, the reference date for the "Population Census-2027 will be 00:00 hours on March 1, 2027, for most parts of the country."
However, for the Union Territory of Ladakh and the non-synchronous snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, the reference date will be 00:00 hours on October 1, 2026.