Assault on Federalism: Tamil Nadu CM Stalin writes to 7 CMs for JAC meet on March 22

Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin upped the ante on the delimitation issue on Friday with the announcement of a Joint Action Committee, comprising political parties from Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Punjab and Odisha, apart from his own DMK. Stalin wrote letters to CMs of seven states, including BJP-ruled Odisha, to send senior representatives for a meeting of this grouping on March 22 in Chennai.

Describing the forthcoming delimitation exercise a "blatant assault on federalism", Stalin alleged that the Centre is punishing states which have done well in population control and good governance. "The Union Govt's plan for #Delimitation is a blatant assault on federalism, punishing States that ensured population control & good governance by stripping away our rightful voice in Parliament. We will not allow this democratic injustice!," Stalin wrote on X.

"Calling for an uncompromising fight against this unfair exercise," Stalin has written to seven chief ministers, including Pinarayi Vijayan (Kerala), Siddaramaiah (Karnataka), Revanth Reddy (Telangana), N Chandrababu Naidu (Andhra Pradesh), Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal), Bhagwant Mann (Punjab), and Mohan Charan Manjhi (Odisha) as well as party heads in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, West Bengal, Odisha and Punjab seeking their support.


"We are forming a Joint Action Committee (JAC) to defend our States from being silenced," he said, appealing to CPM, RSP, IUML, Kerala Congress (M), TDP, Jan Sena Party, YSRCP, BRS, AIMIM, JDS, TMC, AAP, Akali Dal, state units of Congress in these states to send a senior representative for the first meeting of JAC to be held in Chennai on March 22. He has even extended this invite to the state units of BJP in these states.

"Let us stand together not as separate political entities but as protectors of our people's future," Stalin said in his appeal to these parties.