"Centre trying to reduce Tamil Nadu's representation," says Udhayanidhi Stalin; burns copy of delimitation bill

Madurai (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 16 : Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Thursday said he wore a black shirt in protest against the proposed delimitation Bill, alleging that the Union government was attempting to reduce Tamil Nadu's representation. The Tamil Nadu Deputy CM also burned a copy of the bill to register his protest.

While campaigning in the Madurai East constituency, to support DMK candidate and Minister P Moorthy, DCM Stalin said, "Today is a very important day. I am wearing a black shirt opposing the Delimitation Bill. The Union government is trying to reduce the representation from Tamil Nadu. Using the election time in Tamil Nadu, the Union government is trying to divert us with the election and bringing this Delimitation Bill.

During his visit to Sourashtrapuram in the Vandiyur area, DCM Stalin wore a black shirt to show protest against the Union Government's proposed Delimitation Bill.

This comes after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, earlier in the day, burned a copy of the proposed delimitation bill, whose implementation is tied to a population-based revision of constituencies based on the 2011 census.

Stalin further raised a black flag to kick off statewide anti-delimitation agitation.

Echoing similar concerns, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP T. R. Baalu also termed the proposed delimitation Bill "anti-national."

Meanwhile, DMK candidate from the Virugambakkam Assembly constituency Prabhakar Raja carried out a door-to-door campaign in Chennai's MGR Nagar area wearing a black shirt as a mark of protest against the proposed delimitation process.

DMK district leaders, party cadres, and members of alliance parties, including Congress, Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK), Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), Communist Party of India, and Communist Party of India (Marxist), accompanied him during the outreach campaign.

In Karur district, former minister and DMK candidate V. Senthil Balaji also staged a protest by hoisting a black flag in front of his residence, raising slogans of "Tamil Nadu will fight, Tamil Nadu will win" against the proposed constituency delimitation Bill.

Wearing a black shirt, Senthil Balaji raised slogans and led the protest, with several key party functionaries joining him and echoing the slogans.

The protest comes amid continued opposition from M. K. Stalin, the DMK president and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, who has been voicing strong concerns against the delimitation proposal.

In line with directions from the DMK headquarters, party cadres across Tamil Nadu have been staging similar protests by hoisting black flags in front of their residences.

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