Delimitation won't reduce parliamentary seats for southern states: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday accused Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin of spreading a misinformation campaign on the delimitation exercise. Shah asserted that no southern state, including Tamil Nadu, would see a reduction in the Parliamentary representation when delimitation was done on a pro-rata basis.

Stalin had said that the delimitation exercise would impact southern states, especially Tamil Nadu, after the successful implementation of the family planning programme. He claimed that Tamil Nadu stands to lose 8 out of the 39 Lok Sabha seats due to delimitation and convened an all-party meeting on March 5 to discuss the matter.

The Union Minister also lashed out at the ruling DMK dispensation on the 'failure' of law and order in the state. Shah said that the anti-national tendency is at an all-time high in the state, "Tamil Nadu government provided security during the last journey of the 1998 bomb blast accused and mastermind (SA Basha)." 

He claimed the drug mafia enjoyed a free hand in selling drugs in the state and that the illegal mining mafia was making politics corrupt here. "All the leaders of DMK have got Master's Degree in corruption. One leader is involved in a cash-for-job scam, another in a money laundering case, a third in a disproportionate wealth case, a fourth in a coal scam, and the fifth in a Rs 6,000 crore CRIDP scam. It seems the DMK has selected the corrupt through the party's members drive," he said.

While the people of the state were anguished over a number of issues, "the CM and his son (Udhayanidhi) have taken up some issue to divert public attention," Shah said. The Modi government has made it clear in the Lok Sabha that no southern state will lose even one seat after delimitation, Shah added. The interest of the people of the southern states will be ensured in the matter, he said.