CHENNAI: DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran questioned Chief Minister Vijay’s stand on delimitation and the Mekedatu dam issue.Speaking to reporters in Chennai, Maran accused Vijay of changing his position after meeting Union home minister Amit Shah.“After passing a unanimous resolution in the state assembly seeking to freeze the existing 543 Lok Sabha constituencies, why did Vijay suddenly change his stand and seek fair delimitation after meeting Amit Shah? Has he changed alliances or is he scared of Amit Shah?” Maran asked.Maran also questioned Vijay for not opposing Karnataka deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar’s remarks on cooperation between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over the Cauvery water-sharing issue at the southern CMs’ conference.“When D K Shivakumar spoke about cooperation in building the Mekedatu dam, why did the Tamil Nadu CM not utter even a word opposing it? Tamil Nadu’s rights cannot be compromised in the name of cooperation,” he said.Maran said the DMK’s stand on delimitation had remained consistent and that Tamil Nadu should not suffer any reduction in its representation in Parliament or the state assembly.“We have consistently maintained that Tamil Nadu should not suffer even an iota of loss because of delimitation. Vijay should clarify what his actual stand is. The people of Tamil Nadu are also waiting to know,” he said.Taking a dig at Vijay’s earlier position, Maran asked whether the CM had now adopted the “fair delimitation” stand after initially demanding that the existing 543 constituencies be frozen.“Rahul Gandhi had spoken about ‘Ettappars’. Today, the person who says no delimitation is not needed and then changes his stand to demand fair delimitation — who is that Ettappar? Is it Vijay? Will Vijay answer this?” Maran asked.On the Cauvery issue, Maran said Vijay should have convened an all-party meeting and passed a resolution against the proposed Mekedatu dam instead of limiting the discussion to delimitation.“The DMK has experience in fighting for Tamil Nadu’s rights. Vijay should listen to the views of an experienced party instead of taking advice that could compromise the state’s interests,” he said.Maran also questioned the Congress’s position on the Cauvery issue, asking why the party had maintained different positions in Karnataka, Telangana and Tamil Nadu.“What is the Congress’s stand on Cauvery water sharing? Why is the Tamil Nadu Congress not speaking about it? Why are Congress leaders visiting Tamil Nadu not speaking about the state’s rights?” he asked.
