Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 5 (ANI): Actor Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam criticized the potential delimitation process based on population, warning that it could reduce southern states' representation.

The party highlighted concerns about the method's fairness and stresses addressing immediate issues like inflation and unemployment.

The party said, 'According to the 84th Constitutional Amendment, the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies has been frozen until 2026. Therefore, after the upcoming year, the Union Government is likely to initiate this delimitation process. However, no clear explanation or assurance has been given to the states regarding how this restructuring will take place.'

TNk noted that no clear explanation has been provided to the states about how this restructuring will be carried out.

'This delimitation may occur without changing the number of existing parliamentary constituencies or by increasing the number of constituencies through another constitutional amendment. Regardless of the method followed, it is evident that the 'population of states' will be a key criterion, if not the sole criterion, for this exercise.'

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam also criticized the idea of reducing constituencies in the southern states or increasing them in states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

'Article 81 of our Constitution states that each Member of Parliament (MP) should ideally represent an equal number of people (equal population representation for each MP). The principle of 'One Vote - One Value' forms the foundation of this democratic structure. However, in a diverse federal nation like India, ensuring equal representation for every state is also a crucial democratic principle. An attempt should be made to balance both these principles so that one does not excessively impact the other.'

The party stated, 'If the new delimitation is based solely or primarily on population figures from a fresh census, the representation of southern states in Parliament is at high risk of declining significantly.'

For the past 50 years, Tamil Nadu and other southern states have controlled their population growth efficiently through investments in education, healthcare, and family planning. Punishing them for their success would be unfair,' the party statement added.

According to the Party, 'At present, a single state already has 80 parliamentary seats, giving it a significantly higher political advantage over other states. This disparity should not widen further. If the number of constituencies in southern states is reduced, or if states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are given additional seats in comparison, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam firmly opposes such an arrangement.'

The party stated, 'Even with 543 MPs today, many are not given time to ask questions during Parliament sessions. The ballot system is currently used to decide which MPs get to ask questions. Even when given a chance, most MPs are only allowed to speak for a few minutes. Under these circumstances, adding more MPs would reduce their role to mere symbolic representatives.'

'The real concerns of the people today are inflation, unemployment, lack of quality education and healthcare, poor roads, and inadequate drinking water facilities. A shortage of MPs is not an issue for ordinary citizens. It is a theoretical democratic issue, but not a pressing practical concern. There are many urgent democratic problems that must be addressed first', TVK further said. (ANI)