Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin has urged residents to have children immediately, citing concerns that the state’s successful family planning measures have now put it at a disadvantage. He warned that if constituency delimitation is carried out based on population census figures, Tamil Nadu could lose parliamentary representation.
Speaking after a cabinet meeting on February 25, Stalin highlighted the potential impact of delimitation, stating, “If delimitation is implemented based on population census, Tamil Nadu will lose eight MPs. This will lead to Tamil Nadu losing representation in Parliament.”
Emphasising the urgency of the situation, he added, “Earlier, we used to say, take your time and have a baby. But now the situation has changed, and we should say it immediately.”
To address the issue, the chief minister has called for an all-party meeting on Wednesday, urging political leaders to set aside differences and unite in safeguarding Tamil Nadu’s interests. Stalin invited 40 political parties registered with the Election Commission to participate, describing delimitation as a “sword dangling over Tamil Nadu”.
He also appealed to opposition parties, urging them to attend the meeting without political considerations. “I urge them to attend the meeting. Please set aside ego. Don’t think about why you should listen to my call,” he mentioned.
Tamil Nadu has historically been at the forefront of family planning initiatives, successfully reducing its population growth rate. However, Stalin expressed concerns that this success could now result in diminished political representation.
