Daijiworld Media Network - Chennai

Chennai, Aug 12: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay is expected to move a resolution in the state Assembly on Wednesday seeking safeguards for the parliamentary representation of southern states amid concerns over the proposed delimitation exercise and women's reservation.

The resolution reportedly urges the Centre to maintain the Lok Sabha-Rajya Sabha ratio at 2.2:1 while keeping the number of Lok Sabha seats at the existing 543. It also calls for the immediate implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women within the existing 543 Lok Sabha seats.

The resolution argues that delimitation based on a population census conducted after 1971 could adversely affect the parliamentary representation of southern states, including Tamil Nadu, which have implemented population-control measures more effectively.

It states that states including Tamil Nadu and the Union Territories have not had their population counted for more than 50 years. The resolution proposes that, instead of allowing a fresh delimitation based on population growth, the constituencies should be delimited based on the 2011 Census and the number of Lok Sabha and Assembly seats should be increased from 550 to 850 through a constitutional amendment.

“Even though Tamil Nadu has built a strong Tamil Nadu by effectively implementing population control measures on the basis of the 1971 population census, the representation of the southern states, including Tamil Nadu, in Parliament will be permanently affected. This is an undeniable truth,” the resolution states.

The state government is expected to argue that southern states that successfully controlled population growth should not be penalised through a reduction in their share of parliamentary representation.

The proposed resolution comes a day after the Tamil Nadu Assembly passed two separate resolutions opposing the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill.

The state government has demanded the abolition of NEET, arguing that the examination is against social justice and the rights of states.

“This examination has completely lost the trust of students across the nation. Therefore, this examination system must be abolished,” Vijay told the Assembly.

Both resolutions were passed amid a walkout by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.