New Delhi, Apr 18 (TNT): Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Saturday criticised the BJP over the defeat of the women’s reservation legislation in the Lok Sabha, alleging that the Centre was attempting to dilute reservation policies through constitutional amendments.
Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Revanth challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to demonstrate sincerity by introducing a fresh Bill providing 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies.
He said that if such legislation is brought forward, the opposition INDIA alliance would support it, as it had done earlier.
He suggested that one-third of the existing 543 Lok Sabha seats could be reserved for women and implemented at the earliest, potentially ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh elections.
The Chief Minister also proposed consultations with southern Chief Ministers, including M. K. Stalin, Pinarayi Vijayan, Siddaramaiah, N. Chandrababu Naidu and N. Rangasamy to build consensus on the issue.
Alleging that the BJP aimed to amend the Constitution under the slogan of “Char Sau Paar”, he said the failure of the Bill reflected a lack of commitment on the part of the Centre.
On delimitation, he called for an all-party meeting and wider consultations with state governments, experts and the public before any decision is finalised. He opposed delimitation based on a pro-rata population formula, warning that it could disadvantage southern, northeastern and smaller states.
He also criticised remarks by BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Modi and MP Tejasvi Surya, on the formation of Telangana, calling them inappropriate.
He accused Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy and MP K. Laxman of neglecting public concerns.
He further alleged that the BJP was attempting to mislead the public on women’s reservation and asserted that the Congress has a consistent record of promoting women’s political participation.
Senior leaders, including MPs Mallu Ravi, Suresh Shetkar and Balram Naik, along with MLAs and party functionaries, were present at the press conference.
TNT KS
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