"There is a feeling... why not have 16 children (as we) lose Lok Sabha seats" - Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin's eyebrow-raising 'solution' Monday to the possibility his state will have to part with many - and therefore be less important to any party looking to form the union government - after the delimitation in 2026, i.e., redrawing of parliamentary constituencies based on revised population levels.
The DMK leader - presiding over the state-funded Hindu marriage ceremony of 31 couples - said the tradition in his state was for family elders to bless married couples with "16 kinds of wealth"; the benediction, translated from Tamil, reads "Acquire 16 kinds of wealth and lead a prosperous life)".
"That blessing does not mean you should have 16 children... but now a situation has arisen where people think they may have to, literally, raise 16 children and not a small and prosperous family."
As an aside (and in a comment seen as another jab at the BJP that is in power at the centre), Mr Stalin called on Tamil couples to give their children "beautiful Tamil names".
READ | "Imposing Hindi Everywhere": MK Stalin vs Governor In Anthem Row
The Chief Minister's comment about Tamil names for Tamil children comes amid yet another state-centre flare-up on the language row; last week Mr Stalin lobbed tough questions at Governor RN Ravi, the centre's rep in the state, for trying to "impose Hindi everywhere".
The Delimitation Row
Over the past several months Tamil Nadu, and the other southern states, have expressed concern over a delimitation exercise that will see the number of seats jump from 543 now to 753.
The biggest increase will be in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state; the number of Lok Sabha seats will jump from 80 to 126 - a 57.5 per cent spike. Among the southern states, only Karnataka could see a measurable increase - from 28 seats to 36 - in representation in the Lower House.
Tamil Nadu's Lok Sabha share will likely only inch up - from 39 to 41, a five per cent increase, and Andhra Pradesh and Telangana may be given only three extra seats each.
NDTV Explains | What India Will Look Like After 2026 Delimitation
And Kerala - the state that has best controlled population growth, a critical factor as the country and world battles climate change, unemployment, and resource scarcity - could lose one of its 20 seats.
The possible revised Lok Sabha seats by state after the delimitation.
However, if the central government decides to keep the Lok Sabha total at 543 and, instead, re-distribute available seats, Tamil Nadu and Kerala will lose eight each. UP and Bihar will gain 11 and 10.
Either way, the opposition has been fiercely critical about the marked disparity between possible revised Lok Sabha representation for the northern states - all of which, except Karnataka, to a large extent, voted for the BJP in the 2014, 2019, and 2024 elections - and for those in the south.
And Mr Stalin's government has been among the most vocal in this regard.
Tamil Nadu's Anti-Delimitation Move
In February Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK adopted a resolution against the proposed delimitation, arguing that states that have best controlled population levels ought not to be penalised.
READ | In Tamil Nadu Assembly, A Challenge To Delimitation Exercise
Conversely, the DMK said, states that had failed to do so should not be rewarded.
Chandrababu Naidu's Remark
Mr Stalin's comment - in jest, yes, but with a definite edge - came shortly after his Andhra Pradesh counterpart, Chandrababu Naidu, also 'advised' people to have more children.
Mr Naidu's comment, however, was in the context of an aging state population.
He warned that a disproportionate number of elderly people could affect the state's finances and offered Japan as an example. "In many villages, only elderly people remain... as the young have migrated to cities or overseas," he said, adding his government would pass laws in this regard.
Centre Says...
The Narendra Modi government will be considerate of the fact southern states have, on average, controlled population better than the north, sources told NDTV in September last year. Fears southern states will be penalised by their Lok Sabha seats being affected, will be allayed, sources said.
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