Concerns on delimitation will be taken care of: Centre to South

New Delhi: A day after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin raised the alarm over the Centre’s decision to link the upcoming delimitation exercise with the delayed Census, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) reiterated that the apprehensions of southern states would be duly addressed. Responding to Stalin’s remarks, a senior MHA official said on Thursday, “The Honourable Home Minister has made it clear on several occasions that in the delimitation exercise, concerns of southern states will be taken care of and discussed with all concerned at appropriate time.” Stalin, in a post on social media platform X, accused the BJP-led central government of deliberately pushing the Census to 2027 to impact parliamentary representation from states like Tamil Nadu. “I had warned about this. It is now unfolding,” he wrote, adding that the delay was a clear signal of a strategy to diminish Tamil Nadu’s voice in Parliament. He also targeted AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami, alleging complicity in what he described as a “betrayal.” “By siding with the BJP, Palaniswami is not just silent but complicit in this betrayal... The people of Tamil Nadu are united as one in their demand for a Fair Delimitation,” he stated.

The MHA spokesperson responded to concerns regarding the delay by pointing to the COVID-19 pandemic. “The Census was postponed as the COVID-19 outbreak disrupted preparations across the board. The aftermath affected key sectors like education, which relies heavily on primary school teachers — who are also Census enumerators.” He added that proceeding with the exercise immediately after the pandemic could have jeopardised data quality and coverage, citing international experiences. India’s 16th Census, which will include caste enumeration, is now set to be conducted in two phases. The reference date has been fixed as October 1, 2026, for snow-bound regions like Ladakh and March 1, 2027, for the rest of the country. The MHA clarified that funds have never posed an obstacle. “Budget has never been a constraint for conducting the Census,” the official noted, asserting that financial provisions are consistently ensured. The political tension around delimitation stems from fears among southern states that population-based redistribution of parliamentary seats could reduce their representation in favour of more populous northern states.