Telangana and Punjab CMs chime in with opposition to delimitation

Telangana CM Revanth Reddy urges PM Modi to follow Vajapayee's example, opposes increasing Lok Sabha seats for 25 years.

Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to follow the example of the late former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajapayee, and not increase the number of parliamentary seats in the Lok Sabha for another 25 years.

“Though delimitation takes States as a unit, conduct delimitation within the State, [and] change the boundaries of the Lok Sabha seats inside the State based on the latest Census. Increase the SC/ST (Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes) seats in States. Provide 33% reservation for women in every State,” Mr. Reddy said in his address at the first meeting of the Joint Action Committee on Fair Delimitation.

Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of implementing a policy of “demographic penalty”, he said that since 1971, India had decided to adopt family planning as a national priority, and south India had done very well.

“But big States in north India have failed. We become a spectacular south. We have achieved the fastest economic growth, bigger GDP, higher per capita income, better infrastructure development, governance, and better social welfare. We contribute more to the national exchequer and get less allocation,” Mr. Reddy said.

Mr. Reddy said the south Indian States could not accept the proposed delimitation as it would politically limit the States and punish them for performing well. “We have to stop the BJP from implementing any unfair delimitation,” the Telangana CM said.

Urging the BJP-led government to not increase the number of Lok Sabha seats and delimitation within States, he said that in 1971, the late former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had not pursued delimitation because it would have created imbalance of political power between States.

“In 2001, A.B. Vajpayee also conducted delimitation without increasing any seats. Narendra Modi should also do the same. The south will not accept population-based delimitation. South India will lose its political voice. We will not accept it because States like U.P., Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan dominate the rest of the country. We cannot accept it at any cost,” Mr. Reddy said.