Terms It a Threat to Tamil Nadu’s Political Voice

By Our Political Correspondent

Chennai: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Centre over the proposed delimitation exercise, urging all national and regional parties in Tamil Nadu to unite against any such legislation in Parliament. He alleged that the move was aimed at weakening the political voice of the state and warned that supporting the proposed bill would amount to a betrayal of the people of Tamil Nadu.

Speaking to reporters in Mamallapuram near Chennai, the Congress leader claimed that the proposed delimitation exercise was an attempt by the BJP to reduce Tamil Nadu’s political influence at the national level. He described the move as a “conspiracy” to strip the people of the state of their rightful representation and called upon all political parties, irrespective of ideological differences, to oppose it collectively.

“Every national party and every Tamil party must stand together and defeat the delimitation bill in Parliament,” Gandhi said, asserting that any political formation backing the proposal would be acting against the interests of Tamil Nadu.

Escalating his criticism, Gandhi alleged that those supporting the proposed legislation would be remembered as betrayers of the state’s interests. Drawing on Tamil history, he invoked the figure of Ettappan, whose name has become synonymous with betrayal for his alleged role in the capture of freedom fighter Veerapandiya Kattabomman during British rule. Gandhi said history would judge supporters of the bill as the “Ettappans of the 21st century.”

The Congress leader was in Tamil Nadu as part of the party’s Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan (SSA), an organisational outreach and restructuring initiative aimed at strengthening the Congress at the grassroots level. During his visit, he addressed district Congress committee presidents who recently completed a 10-day leadership and organisational training programme.

According to party sources, Gandhi stressed the importance of organisational discipline and internal unity, cautioning leaders against factionalism. He reportedly told party functionaries that groupism had weakened the Congress in several regions and that only leaders committed to collective work, grassroots engagement and organisational expansion would have a meaningful role in the party’s future.

Earlier in the day, Gandhi met families of students who allegedly died by suicide in connection with the NEET examination issue. Expressing solidarity with the bereaved families, he described the loss of young lives as a tragedy that reflected deeper structural problems in the country’s education system.

Addressing the families, Gandhi said no parent should have to endure the pain of losing a child and argued that repeated incidents of examination paper leaks, cancelled tests and prolonged uncertainty had eroded the confidence of students across the country.

In a post on social media platform X, he said that behind every student death lay unanswered questions about what he described as a “broken and corrupt education system.” Referring to recurring paper leak controversies, he alleged that years of hard work, aspirations and family sacrifices had been undermined by systemic failures.

Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi criticised remarks suggesting forgiveness for students affected by examination irregularities. He argued that students did not need forgiveness but accountability, asking whether the Prime Minister had personally met families who had lost children or those whose dreams had been shattered due to paper leaks and cancelled examinations.

“India’s students do not need the Prime Minister’s forgiveness; they deserve an apology,” Gandhi said, reiterating the Congress party’s demand for greater transparency and accountability in the conduct of competitive examinations.

After concluding his political engagements in Mamallapuram, Gandhi departed for New Delhi from Chennai.