Udhayanidhi Stalin advises newlyweds to 'prioritize childbirth' in Tamil Nadu
What's the story
Tamil Nadu Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin has urged newlyweds to focus on having children. He made the appeal at a mass wedding in Chennai.
He stressed the need to start families soon but added he doesn't support large families.
The deputy CM's comments come in line with a recent call from his father and CM MK Stalin, urging citizens to have more kids amid delimitation and seat loss fears.
Election strategy
Udhayanidhi Stalin's comments on upcoming Tamil Nadu elections
Stalin also expressed confidence in the DMK winning 200-plus seats in the upcoming Tamil Nadu elections.
He urged newlyweds to focus on giving birth to children, saying the state had a history of imposing birth control measures.
"We will win 200-plus seats in Tamil Nadu in the 2026 elections," he said.
The deputy CM also pointed out TN could lose 8 seats due to delimitation, while northern states that didn't control population growth would gain 100 seats.
Cultural preservation
Udhayanidhi Stalin encourages preservation of Tamil identity
Apart from calling for more children, Stalin asked parents to name them in Tamil. The push is viewed as an attempt to protect Tamil identity in the wake of the state's changing demographics.
His father, CM MK Stalin, had earlier voiced the same at a wedding ceremony in Nagai district on March 3.
The CM said the luxury of taking time to have a baby is gone due to changing circumstances.
Population debate
Delimitation exercise sparks population growth debate in South India
The delimitation exercise, before the 2029 general election, has sparked an intense debate in South India. Fears of losing political influence to northern states are rampant.
Vizianagaram MP Kalisetti Appala Naidu of Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party, an NDA ally, has now urged Andhra Pradesh residents to have more kids.
He declared a ₹50,000 reward for women birthing a third child and a calf for a boy.