M K Stalin with Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah.
Credit: PTI Photo
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday extended support to the DMK-led opposition against the proposed delimitation of Parliamentary constituencies and requested his Deputy, D K Shivakumar, to attend the meeting in Chennai to discuss the issue.
In his letter dated March 13 to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, Siddaramaiah stated, "Although I would like to participate in the meeting, due to my prior commitments, I am unable to do so."
He also said, "I have received your letter dated March 7, which raises crucial issues regarding the autonomy of states, with serious implications for the principles governing our polity. In particular, the issue of delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies based on new population benchmarks needs to be discussed at length by like-minded states."
Acknowledging the importance of the March 22 meeting, the Chief Minister stated, "I have requested Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar to participate in the deliberations."
On Wednesday, Tamil Nadu Forest Minister K Ponmudy and Rajya Sabha MP Mohammed Abdullah Ismail met Siddaramaiah at his residence, Cauvery, to discuss the ongoing protests against the "anti-democratic and anti-Southern stance of the central government."
During the meeting with the DMK delegation, the Chief Minister condemned the Centre’s alleged attempt to "weaken democracy and federalism."
The DMK has been reaching out to leaders of various parties, including those within the NDA, such as Chandrababu Naidu, to discuss the delimitation issue.