Telangana CM alleges BJP Using Women’s Reservation for Political Gains, Opposes Delimitation Linkage
Bengaluru, June 6 (TNT): Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of resorting to political gimmicks on the issue of women’s reservation and reiterated the Congress party’s opposition to linking the implementation of the reservation with the proposed increase in parliamentary seats.
Participating in a discussion with N. Ram, Director of The Hindu, at the “The Hindu Huddle” session titled “By, For, and Of the People: Good Governance for Telangana” in Bengaluru, Revanth Reddy said the Congress fully supports women’s reservation but opposes any attempt to tie it to the delimitation exercise.
He argued that increasing Lok Sabha seats would disproportionately benefit northern states at the expense of southern states that have successfully implemented population control measures.
“If parliamentary seats are increased as proposed, raising Lok Sabha seats in Kerala from 20 to 30 and in Uttar Pradesh from 80 to 120, it would be unjust. This is precisely what we oppose,” the Chief Minister said.
Revanth Reddy asserted that southern states contribute significantly more to the Centre than they receive and should not be penalised for their developmental achievements and demographic management.
He alleged that the Centre was creating divisions between North and South India and urged it to avoid widening regional disparities.
Referring to the forthcoming political calendar, he said the BJP should first demonstrate its commitment to women’s empowerment by effectively implementing the Women’s Reservation legislation before seeking political mileage from it.
Highlighting the Congress party’s record on women’s representation, Revanth Reddy claimed that Congress governments had pioneered several initiatives aimed at empowering women. He noted that women had been appointed as President, Lok Sabha Speaker, Governors and Chief Ministers under Congress rule.
The Chief Minister credited former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi with ensuring reservation for women in local bodies and recalled that the Women’s Reservation Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha during the UPA regime under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi.
During the interaction, Revanth Reddy also spoke about his political journey from a ZPTC member to Chief Minister and shared his views on governance, federalism and the challenges facing southern states.
TNT KM
