What was discussed at Amit Shah's meet with Vijay, Shivakumar, other South CMs?

The 31st meeting of the Southern Zonal Council at Mahabalipuram saw southern state chief ministers discuss regional water disputes, parliamentary delimitation demands, and increased fund allocation proportionate to their contribution to central tax collection.

Karnataka CM DK Shivakumar supported the Mekedatu project, while Tamil Nadu CM C Joseph Vijay emphasized the rights of lower riparian states. Kerala CM VD Satheesan stated that Kerala would fund the Mullaiperiyar dam, Telangana deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu proposed a Godavari-Cauvery river-linking project, and Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu suggested a resolution calling on the Union government to follow the 1971 census for delimitation.

Shivakumar requested the council to adopt a resolution calling upon the Union government to honor the 1971 census as the basis for delimitation, retain the existing Lok Sabha seat count of 543 for the next 25 years, and implement women's reservation within these seats. Vijay urged the government to provide a legislative assurance that no state would suffer a reduction in its parliamentary representation percentage.

Shah highlighted the importance of water in India's development and proposed that interconnected rivers could prevent water shortages across the country for the next 100 years. He also noted that five out of eight issues related to river water-sharing in north India had been resolved, contributing to a dispute-free north India. The southern states agreed to resolve pending water disputes expeditiously through mutual dialogue and cooperation.