Chennai: Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) on Sunday held a statewide rally against the delimitation bill proposed by the Union BJP govt. TNCC chief Manickam Tagore demanded DMK to clarify its stand on the bill.Tagore who led the rally in Chennai flayed DMK for not participating in the all-party meeting for MPs, convened by chief minister C Joseph Vijay on Saturday.“It is saddening that many of the TN MPs didn’t participate in the meeting. They (DMK) are asking us why we speak about delimitation when the bill was not tabled despite knowing very well that the BJP govt would table it without any prior announcement,’’ he said addressing the rally.Congress functionaries and cadres who participated in the rally held banners with the slogans ‘Modi-Limitation’ and raised slogans against the BJP govt and delimitation.Hitting out at DMK, Tagore said the opposition party should not give ‘lame excuses’ for not participating in the meeting. “Instead, say that you (DMK MPs) didn’t want to see Vijay’s face or that you were upset because your party president was not invited,” Tagore said. He added that the BJP govt was planning to table the delimitation during the last three days of the monsoon session of Parliament.Recalling the remarks of DMK MP Kanimozhi N V N Somu that “TN’s interest was more important than friends or foes in politics”, Tagore said the DMK MP had hinted that BJP was their new friend.Meanwhile, former Union minister P Chidambaram asked the parties who skipped the delimitation meeting to clarify their stand on the proposed delimitation bill.Congress MP Karthi Chidambaram told reporters in Sivaganga that BJP govt was planning to undertake delimitation based on population, and it would be a disadvantage for TN.
