Chennai:

Ahead of the meeting being held at ITC Grand Chola hotel in Guindy here, Stalin welcomed the leaders attending it and said the day would be "etched in history".

"Today will be etched in history as the day when states that have contributed to our nation’s development came together to safeguard its federal structure by ensuring fair delimitation. I warmly welcome all Chief Ministers and political leaders to this meeting, united in our commitment to #FairDelimitation," Stalin posted on X.

The maiden Joint Action Committee (JAC) meeting on delimitation hosted by DMK commenced in Chennai on Saturday with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M K Stalin in the chair.

As many as 14 leaders from at least five states are participating in the meeting in which they would deliberate on the 'threat' posed by the Lok Sabha seats delimitation exercise to states with high economic growth and literacy.

Speaking to the media shortly before the meeting commenced, Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar said, "At any cost, we cannot let down our country and our seats to be reduced." He claimed South India had always upheld the census regulations and family planning policies, making it a progressive region.

"Economically and in terms of literacy, we have consistently led the way. We have always protected the national interest, not just our own," he said.

Among the attending the meeting are Chief Ministers of Kerala, Telangana, and Punjab (Pinarayi Vijayan, Revanth Reddy, Bhagwant Singh Mann), Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar and working president of Shiromani Akali Dal Balwinder Singh Bhunder, and general secretary of Indian Union Muslim League Kerala P M A Salam.

BJP Stages Black Flag Protest

Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai and other leaders of the party showed black flags, registering their protest against Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar over Mekdatu project issue.

The opposition BJP, which staged a black flag protest, slammed Stalin for not convening similar meetings on the Cauvery and Mullaiperiar water-sharing disputes with Karnataka and Kerala, respectively.

"Our state has various issues with neighbouring states. With Kerala, we have Mullaperiyar Dam issue...Karnataka government has opposed Metro line towards Hosur from Karnataka border. On various occasions, our CM did not raise these issues when he visited neighbouring states. But today, he has called all CMs and is doing drama on delimitation, which is not even a problem at all," Annamalai said while addressing the media today morning.

BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan described the meeting as "corruption hiding meeting" by the respective leaders.

A DMK delegation, including party MP Kanimozhi, state minister K N Nehru and former Union minister A Raja, met Revanth Reddy in Delhi on March 13 and invited him to the meeting. Rama Rao, son of BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao, alleged in a statement on Friday that the current delimitation policy "weakens the representation of southern states, despite their crucial role in the country’s economic development."

Earlier today, visuals from the venue showed Stalin welcoming Pinarayi Vijayan and Revanth Reddy ahead of the start of the meeting. Stalin has termed the meeting as the "beginning of a movement that will shape the future of the country to achieve fair delimitation". His party DMK had reached out to Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal and Punjab for the meeting.

On Friday, Telangana CM along with state Congress president B Mahesh Kumar Goud and opposition BRS leader K T Rama Rao reached Chennai to attend the meeting. Reddy, who earlier said that Telangana, other southern states, Punjab and Odisha stand to lose due to the current rules of delimitation, would once again articulate his views on the matter, sources said.

Historic day for federalism: Stalin

"I extend my warmest welcome to the leaders from Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal & Punjab who are joining us for the Joint Action Committee meeting on #FairDelimitation."

On Friday, Stalin said the meeting was a 'historic day for Indian federalism'. "This is a defining moment in our collective journey. This is more than a meeting—it is the beginning of a movement that will shape the future of our country," Stalin said in a post on X.

Further, the CM said: "Building on this historic unity, our MPs and Ministers actively engaged with leaders from other affected states, strengthening our collective resolve. What started as Tamil Nadu’s initiative has now grown into a national movement, with states across India joining hands to demand fair representation.This is a defining moment in our collective journey."

In a separate video message, Stalin also said that if Tamil Nadu and other states lose representation in Parliament due to the proposed delimitation, it would strike at the very foundation of federalism, erode democracy and lead to a compromise of rights.

Describing the DMK-led all-party meeting held here on March 5 as a "landmark moment," in which as many as 58 parties participated by putting aside difference for a single cause, the chief minister said, "this overwhelming consensus reflected Tamil Nadu’s unwavering commitment" to democracy and justice.

Amit Shah Assures Southern States 'Will Not Lose A Single Seat'

Addressing the Rajya Sabha, Shah said every Indian language is a treasure for the country. "Hindi is not in competition with any Indian language, it is only a friend of other languages," he said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who had assured that southern states will not lose a "single Parliamentary seat" and accused Stalin of spreading "misinformation," on March 21, 2025 said: "There have been enough divisions in the nation in the name of language, and it should not happen anymore."

On March 5, 2025 Stalin had said that the 1971 population should be the basis for delimitation of LS seats for 30 years from 2026 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should make an assurance in the Parliament. The JAC is to take forward such demands and create awareness among the people.

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