Bengaluru | Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday extended support to the DMK-led opposition against the proposed delimitation of Parliamentary constituencies.
During a meeting with a delegation of DMK leaders here, the CM condemned the Centre's alleged attempt to "weaken" democracy and federalism.
Tamil Nadu Forest Minister K Ponnumudi and Rajya Sabha MP Mohammed Abdullah Ismail called on Siddaramaiah at his residence Cauvery to discuss the ongoing protests against the "anti-democratic and anti-southern stance of the central government", a statement issued by the CM Office said.
The leaders deliberated on raising their voices against delimitation and other issues while expressing solidarity with the protest.
Earlier, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin also discussed the matter with Siddaramaiah over the phone, the CMO said.
"During the discussion with the Tamil Nadu government delegation and Stalin, Siddaramaiah also expressed his support for the resistance of the southern states," it said.
"We condemn without hesitation all the actions of the Central Government that are against the interests of Karnataka, weaken democracy and go against the federal principle of the Constitution. We made our stand clear that we will support the struggle on this issue," the statement quoted Siddaramaiah as saying.
The Tamil Nadu leaders also called on Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and extended an invitation to participate in a meeting of South Indian states in Chennai on March 22 to discuss steps to the proposed Lok Sabha delimitation.
Later speaking to reporters, Shivakumar said he would discuss with the Congress high command regarding Tamil Nadu’s invitation to participate in the anti-delimitation meeting in Chennai.
"Tamil Nadu CM Stalin has taken the lead in mobilising a protest against the Centre’s Lok Sabha constituency delimitation exercise which will reduce the number of seats for Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Stalin’s representatives came and met me and CM Siddaramaiah. They have extended the invitation," Shivakumar, who is also Karnataka Congress unit president, said.
Noting that DMK is the alliance partner of Congress, Shivakumar said, "We are in agreement with their stance on the delimitation exercise. As we are a national party, we need to discuss this with our party high command. We will decide on the next steps after seeking their advice."
The Deputy CM said he had informed the DMK leadership about the need to discuss with the high command.
"The delegation from Tamil Nadu discussed various aspects with us, including language. It is time we work together to uphold our self-respect," he added.
After the meeting, Ponnumudi told reporters that CM Stalin had asked them to invite the Karnataka Chief Minister and Deputy CM to the meeting on March 22 in Chennai and they have said they will participate.
The DMK has been reaching out to leaders of different parties, including those also within the NDA like Chandrababu Naidu, to discuss the delimitation issue.
Chennai | Upping the ante against the Centre on the NEP, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday alleged that it was not the National Education Policy but a "saffron policy" aimed at developing Hindi and not the nation.
Addressing a public rally, Stalin also took on the Modi government on the delimitation exercise, claiming that it was attempting to "sustain power" by winning in northern states. The BJP was trying to increase the number of MPs in states of their influence and thereby develop party, but the DMK will stop it, he asserted.
Stalin's "saffron policy" jibe came a day after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan accused the DMK-led state government of trying to score political brownies to "revive" the ruling party's fortunes, saying the DMK's "latest cacophony" on language imposition and its stance on NEP's three-language formula exposed their "hypocrisy".
"We oppose NEP as it will completely destroy Tamil Nadu's education growth. The NEP does not accept reservation that is social justice. This policy denies the assistance amount to SCs, STs and Other Backward Classes," Stalin alleged.
The chief minister said the Centre was trying to filter students by holding public exam for classes, including 3 and 5 and the exams for classes from 9 to 12 will be semester-based and similar to All India exams. Further, he alleged that in the name of vocational education, from class 6 onwards, they would implement "caste-based vocations."
While Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan says that such a policy must be accepted, the CM said he had already made it categorical that the policy shall not be accepted even if the Centre was to provide Rs 10,000 crore.
Pradhan should not take a class on democracy for the Tamil people. Stalin said: "Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I have an appeal! Try to develop India rather than Hindi. Sanskrit cannot be developed even if you spend thousands of crores. You will spend crores to develop a language that is not spoken by the people. Will you betray our Tamil language that is recognised in several countries and spoken by the people?
On the fishermen issue, Stalin said a small country like Sri Lanka does not respect the Centre. As many as 550 fishermen were arrested last year alone and during the past two months 130 were arrested. During the 10-year Modi rule, 3,000 fishermen were arrested.
Reiterating that the proposed delimitation exercise of Parliamentary seats was a "sword" that hangs over south India, he said it was not Tamil Nadu's issue alone.
The DMK president said: "The BJP, which could not get the expected victory in southern states, wants to sustain power through wins in northern states alone and that is the conspiracy! They are trying to develop themselves by increasing the number of MPs in the states where they have influence. The DMK will stop this. We will take along all the parties of southern states and stop it."
Referring to the proposed Joint Action Committee on the issue of delimitation, he said he has sent letters to 29 parties in the 7 states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, West Bengal and Punjab. A meeting of various parties will be held on March 22 in Chennai.
"The delimitation exercise constituted a threat to federalism and democratic principles. When the Union government does not heed to the voice of as many as 39 MPs from Tamil Nadu, if this count was reduced that will be a huge injustice to the state," he alleged.
Also, the chief minister made it categorical that they would not bow to the "fascist activities" of the BJP even at the cost of their lives.
"We will mobilise (muster support) the whole of India against the BJP's fascist activities." He said such mobilisation would be on the basis of principles of social justice, secularism, federalism and state autonomy. Only such mobilisation would save India. "That is why the struggle of Tamil Nadu will fight, Tamil Nadu will win is going to become the struggle of the whole of India."
Earlier, the chief minister administered an oath to DMK cadres, which is to fight for the rights of Tamil Nadu. Similar meetings themed on "The only goal; Tamil Nadu will fight, Tamil Nadu will win," to condemn the Centre over NEP and delimitation issues were held across the state.
