"Making plans to reduce Tamil Nadu's parliamentary representation": Stalin attacks Centre on census announcement

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], June 4 (ANI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday demanded an answer from the central government after the caste census was announced to be held in 2027, accusing them of making plans to "reduce the state's parliamentary representation."
He raised concerns over the timing for conducting a caste census, highlighting the constitutional mandate that delimitation must follow the census after 2026.
"The Indian Constitution mandates that delimitation must follow the first census after 2026. The BJP has now delayed the census to 2027, making their plan clear to reduce Tamil Nadu's Parliamentary representation," Stalin posted on X.
He said that the warnings he issued earlier regarding delimitation are unfolding now. Stalin further attacked All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, accusing him of being "complicit in this betrayal" by siding with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"I had warned about this. It is now unfolding. By siding with the BJP, Palaniswami is not just silent, but complicit in this betrayal. It's now clear that he has surrendered to Delhi's domination. The people of Tamil Nadu are united as one in their demand for a fair delimitation. We need clear answers from the Union Government," he added.
On Wednesday, the central government announced that the Population Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases and will also include the enumeration of castes.
Ministry of Home Affairs made the announcement in a statement mentioning that the census will follow different reference dates depending on the region, in accordance with logistical and climatic factors.
"It has been decided to conduct Population Census-2027 in two phases along with enumeration of castes," the statement said.
According to the MHA statement, the reference date for the "Population Census-2027 will be 00:00 hours on March 1, 2027, for most parts of the country."
However, for the Union Territory of Ladakh and the non-synchronous snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, the reference date will be 00:00 hours on October 1, 2026.
"The government has also indicated that a notification of intent to conduct the census, adhering to the above-mentioned timelines, will be published in the Official Gazette on June 16, 2025. This will be done under Section 3 of the Census Act, 1948, which governs the legal framework for the decennial census exercise in India.
The census, due in 2021, was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Census 2027 is slated to be one of the most comprehensive data-gathering exercises undertaken by the Indian government.
Census of India is conducted under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948 and the Census Rules, 1990. (ANI)