Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin raises black flag, burns delimitation bill copy

CHENNAI/NAMAKKAL: Chief minister M K Stalin on Thursday burned a copy of the proposed delimitation bill and hoisted a black flag in Namakkal, escalating his protest against the Union govt’s move to pass the bill in Parliament.Wearing a black shirt, Stalin lit the copy of the bill in front of a DMK functionary’s house at Nallipalayam in Namakkal and raised slogans demanding that the Union govt should not cripple the rights of states. “Let the flame of resistance spread across Tamil Nadu. Let the arrogance of BJP be brought down,” Stalin said in an X post.Drawing parallels with the anti-Hindi agitations of the 1950s and 1960s, Stalin said Tamil Nadu’s ‘fire against Hindi imposition scorched Delhi’ and forced it to yield back then. “I have reignited that fire by burning this black law that seeks to turn Tamils into refugees in our own land,” he said, adding that the agitation would spread across the state.As Stalin had called for a statewide protest, DMK cadres hoisted black flags and burned copies of the bill across Tamil Nadu. His son and deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin burned a copy of the bill in Madurai. Alliance parties including the left, MNM and DMDK too joined the agitation with their local functionaries organising protests in various places in the state.Stalin urged the public to hoist black flags at their homes and commercial establishments for three days. In Kumbakonam, DMK workers released black balloons and drew kolams criticising the delimitation bill in front of their homes as a mark of protest.“This is only the trailer,” Stalin said at an election meeting later in the day at Namakkal, warning that the protest would be intensified in the coming days.He said TN’s opposition to constituency delimitation was “not a protest but a war” and warned the Union govt not to underestimate the state’s “fighting spirit”.He demanded that the delimitation exercise should be postponed for 25 years and that an assurance in this regard should be given in Parliament.Referring to Emergency in 1975, Stalin said he was ready to face even a ‘thousand emergencies’ if that is what it takes to protect Tamil Nadu. He described constituency delimitation or realignment as a “conspiracy” against Tamil Nadu, alleging it could be used to reduce the state’s political voice.Taking a dig at AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, Stalin said Tamils with self-respect would not “submit to Delhi’s remote control”, and that only “slaves” would do so.Campaigning at Perambalur later, Stalin said DMK should return to power to protect TN. “If BJP gets an opportunity to govern the state, it may trifurcate Tamil Nadu into three Union territories like Jammu and Kashmir,’’ he said.Subsequently, BJP will try to replicate the ‘anarchy’ adopted in UTs such as Puducherry, through a lieutenant governor, he said.“If at all AIADMK slaves come to power, there will be no Tamil Nadu,’’ he said urging people to support the DMK front.