'If MPs Lack A Voice...': TVK Chief Vijay Mounts 'Delimitation' Attack On Centre

Vijay highlighted the imbalance in parliamentary representation and questioned the necessity of increasing MPs if they are not given adequate opportunities to voice their concerns in Parliament.

Vijay also noted that the new Parliament building has been designed for 888 seats, indicating a long-term plan to expand Lok Sabha representation.

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Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and actor Vijay strongly criticised the central government over the proposed delimitation exercise, warning that it could disproportionately reduce the representation of southern states in the Lok Sabha. In a strongly worded letter, Vijay highlighted the imbalance in parliamentary representation and questioned the necessity of increasing MPs if they are not given adequate opportunities to voice their concerns in Parliament.

Vijay stressed that in a federal structure like India, ensuring balanced representation for all states is equally crucial.

“If parliamentary constituencies are redrawn solely based on population, southern states will suffer. Tamil Nadu and other southern states have successfully controlled population growth through investments in education, healthcare, and family planning over the past 50 years. It would be unjust to penalize them by reducing their parliamentary representation,” Vijay stated.

The actor-politician particularly criticised the political dominance of northern states, pointing out that one state alone already has 80 MPs, making it more influential than others. "If this imbalance widens further, it will be unacceptable," he asserted, warning against an unfair distribution of seats where northern states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar gain at the cost of Tamil Nadu and other southern regions.

Vijay also noted that the new Parliament building has been designed for 888 seats, indicating a long-term plan to expand Lok Sabha representation. While he acknowledged that an increase in seats might be acceptable if it maintains existing proportionality, he raised concerns about MPs being reduced to "ornamental figures" in Parliament.

"Even today, with 543 MPs, not everyone gets a chance to speak during Question Hour. The selection process is done by ballot, and even those who get selected barely receive a few minutes to speak. If MPs do not have the opportunity to effectively voice the concerns of their people, what is the point of increasing their numbers?" he questioned.

He further emphasised that the real issues affecting citizens include inflation, unemployment, lack of quality education and healthcare, poor road infrastructure, and inadequate access to drinking water—not the number of MPs in Parliament.

Vijay also underscored the importance of federalism, calling it a fundamental value of the Indian Constitution as envisioned by Dr BR Ambedkar. The TVK chief urged the central government to take a decision on delimitation only after achieving consensus among all states, emphasising that such an approach would be a mark of respect for India’s constitutional principles.