The political battle over delimitation in Tamil Nadu has taken a sharper turn, with the ruling DMK deciding to stay away from Chief Minister Joseph Vijay’s meeting of Tamil Nadu MPs scheduled in Chennai.
The decision was announced by DMK Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi, who questioned the purpose of the meeting and accused the Vijay-led government of using the delimitation issue to shift public attention away from the ongoing dispute over the Cauvery river and the proposed Mekedatu dam.
In a post on X, Kanimozhi reiterated that the DMK has already taken a firm position against any delimitation exercise that could reduce Tamil Nadu’s political representation.
"The DMK, led by our leader Thiru @mkstalin, remains steadfast in its earlier stance regarding the protection of Tamil Nadu's representation and the need for #FairDelimitation. There has been no official announcement from the Union Government stating that the delimitation bill will be passed during the current parliamentary session. Furthermore, the revised draft bill has not yet been made available to us," she posted, questioning the timing and need for the meeting called by the Chief Minister.
Kanimozhi argued that Tamil Nadu's political parties have already reached a consensus on the state's position through earlier all-party meetings. According to her, there is therefore little justification for convening another meeting unless the intention is to change that established position.
"We have already articulated Tamil Nadu's position on this matter through resolutions passed in previous all-party meetings. Given that the parties which unanimously adopted those resolutions still hold the same stance, what is the necessity for the meeting convened by the Chief Minister? Is the intention to persuade those parties to alter their established position?"
The DMK's boycott is also rooted in an escalating political confrontation over the Cauvery issue.
Kanimozhi alleged that the Vijay government was failing to address the Mekedatu dam controversy, despite repeated demands from the DMK for an all-party discussion on the matter.
"At a time when protests regarding the #CauveryIssue are ongoing, the all-party meeting convened today by the TVK government - without addressing the #MekedatuDam issue - is merely a charade designed to divert attention from the Cauvery dispute. Therefore, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) will not participate in today's meeting called by the TVK government, which has disregarded the unanimous demand of Tamil Nadu's political parties."
The confrontation comes a day after Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin raised the Mekedatu issue in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
Vijay responded by saying that he had himself proposed discussions with neighbouring Karnataka over the Cauvery dispute, including the Mekedatu project, citing the possibility of reaching a positive outcome.
The Chief Minister also said he was not interested in engaging in what he described as cheap politics over the issue.
Kanimozhi, however, has challenged the government to demonstrate its commitment through direct engagement with the Centre.
"If there is genuine concern for farmers, is the Chief Minister prepared to send representatives of the Tamil Nadu government - alongside the state's MPs - to meet the Union Minister for Water Resources in person and submit the resolution against the Mekedatu Dam that we passed in the Legislative Assembly?" the DMK MP posted.
The DMK's decision has also exposed differences among parties that have previously shared political ground in Tamil Nadu.
Congress and Left parties, which were earlier allies of the DMK and are now part of the Vijay government, have urged Stalin's party to participate in the meeting.
Congress MP Manickam Tagore argued that the delimitation question should transcend party politics and called for a united Tamil Nadu position before the Centre.
"Those who place their politics above Tamil Nadu's interests may choose not to attend. But those who put Tamil Nadu first, and politics second, will attend the all-party meeting convened by the Chief Minister."
The dispute therefore goes beyond a single meeting. At its core is a larger contest over who gets to define Tamil Nadu's political interests—and whether issues such as delimitation and the Cauvery dispute can be separated from the state's increasingly competitive political landscape.
For the DMK, the priority remains protecting Tamil Nadu's representation and pressing the Centre on the Mekedatu issue. For the Vijay government, bringing MPs together around delimitation is an attempt to project a unified state position.
With both sides claiming to speak for Tamil Nadu's interests, the political question now is whether the state's parties can find common ground—or whether competing political strategies will continue to overshadow issues on which they broadly agree.
