Madurai, Aug 19 (PTI) TNCC chief Manickam Tagore on Wednesday urged southern states to unite against the proposed delimitation exercise, warning that it would strip southern India of its political rights.
“The CMs of southern states should unite against the delimitation process which is being conspired by the RSS and BJP to take away the rights of South India in the newly devised delimitation plan,” Tagore said.
Addressing a press conference here, Tagore announced that Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) will organise a protest in Chennai against Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit, condemning the Centre’s push for delimitation and police action against protesting youth in Delhi.
On the state government’s announcement of maternity leave for a third child, Tagore welcomed the welfare measure but urged the cabinet to carefully deliberate the shift away from the two-child norm, pointing to Tamil Nadu’s historic success in family planning since the 1970s.
“Whether the Tamil Nadu government has thought over that process, that from the two-child norm, we have gone to the third-child norm. It is a very important step because Tamil Nadu is a state where family planning was implemented in an organised manner. Because of that, we could succeed in many areas,” Tagore added.
Incidentally, following the state government’s maternity leave announcement, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram posted on X: “While maternity leave is most welcome, paternity leave should also be considered, but the government should not be encouraging a third child in families”.
Raising concern over recent custodial deaths, the Congress leader demanded structural police reforms. He stated that law enforcement cannot continue to operate in a “British Raj manner” and emphasised the need for scientific training. Tagore suggested separating investigation duties from routine security tasks to reduce the immense work pressure on police personnel.
Reiterating the party’s firm opposition to the Mekedatu dam project, Tagore said the state unit would not allow “a single brick” to be laid.
He urged the Karnataka government to release Cauvery water in compliance with the tribunal’s mandate to save the standing crops.
Furthermore, he demanded the immediate dismissal and criminal prosecution of Karnataka forest officials involved in the recent fatal shooting of Tamil workers, seeking enhanced compensation for the victims’ families.
While acknowledging the state government’s Rs 3 hike in milk procurement prices, Tagore requested the Chief Minister to eventually fulfil the dairy farmers’ demand for a Rs 7 increase.
Commenting on the recent reopening of 134 firecracker manufacturing units that were previously closed, he stressed that revenue officials, factory owners, and workers must coordinate to guarantee workplace safety without bureaucratic harassment, while protecting the local livelihood.
Earlier in the day, the TNCC chief paid floral tributes to veteran freedom fighter Sathyamurthy on his 139th birth anniversary and inducted new members into the party. PTI JR JR ADB
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