Congress MP Karti P Chidambaram has sparked a fresh political debate in India with a social media post advocating the creation of a new political party focused exclusively on urban issues. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the Sivaganga MP emphasised the urgent need for a party that prioritises city-centric concerns such as public services, ease of living, urban infrastructure, and governance. He argued that such a party should remain detached from emotive factors like caste, language, and religion, and instead focus on practical solutions for India’s growing urban population.
In my opinion a new political party (in India) purely focusing on urban issues – ease of living, quality of infrastructure & public services- devoid of emotive issues (religion, caste & language) will have a fair level of acceptance. (Since none of the establishment political…
— Karti P Chidambaram (@KartiPC) June 27, 2025
Calls for a shift from cast and religion
‘’In my opinion, a new political party (in India) purely focusing on urban issues-ease of living, quality of infrastructure & public services-devoid of emotive issues (religion, caste, & language) will have a fair level of acceptance,’’ Chidambaram mentioned. He also underlined that the current mainstream parties are not able to place such concerns at the forefront of their agendas.
Social media reaction to Junior Chidambaram’s post
Chidambaram’s proposals sparked a lot of social media reactions, with some welcoming the idea, whereas others doubted it. Veteran journalist Sheela Bhatt reminded the users that this model has been tested earlier, posting, “@AamAadmiParty tried it. Civic issues. Urban development.’’ One user replied more critically, ‘’But we the people least expect it from you or any name with Chidambarm+anti-national. Definitely India needs a better political party, but this suggestion is coming from you.’’ Another user gave a sarcastic comment, “Split the Congress, good sir.”
Pointing to public indifference, a user commented, “Most of the discussions about civic sense, merit-based governance, proper roads, and infrastructure happen on social media. The majority are happy the way things are.”
Chidambaram’s remarks come amid growing public dissatisfaction over urban governance, the city’s poor infrastructure, traffic jams, and waste disposal issues.
He has earlier also raised an issue while slamming Chennai Corporation for its ineffective waste management and failing civic standards. Chidambaram appealed to the authorities to study better-governed cities like Indore for the proper implementation of urban planning.