Hyderabad, Apr 13 (TNT): Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Monday evening alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was using the proposed ‘delimitation’ of constituencies and the ‘Women’s Reservation Bill’ as a “political tool”, and called for a comprehensive national debate before moving forward on the issues.
Addressing a press conference at the State Secretariat, Reddy said the Centre should hold discussions in Parliament and State Assemblies, constitute an expert committee, and consult all political parties on delimitation.
He stressed that delimitation and women’s reservation are separate issues and should not be taken up simultaneously.
Questioning the urgency in convening a special session of Parliament, he alleged that the Centre was attempting to create an impression that Opposition parties were against women’s reservation.
On the Women’s Reservation Bill, the Chief Minister said the Congress supports 33 per cent reservation but insisted that it should be implemented based on the 2026 Census rather than the 2011 Census.
He said this would enable implementation in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
Reddy proposed a “hybrid model” for delimitation, suggesting that of the 272 additional seats, 136 be allocated on a pro-rata population basis and the remaining 136 based on Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), giving weightage to economically contributing states.
Opposing the reported proposal of a 50 per cent increase in seats, he said it would disproportionately benefit northern states and weaken the political representation of southern states.
He warned that the gap in Lok Sabha seats between states would widen significantly under such a model.
The Chief Minister also raised concerns over declining population growth in southern states due to effective family planning, contrasting it with higher growth in northern states, and alleged that the proposed delimitation could push southern states into a politically weaker position.
Reddy said he would write to Chief Ministers of southern and smaller states, including Punjab and Delhi, seeking their support against what he termed discriminatory delimitation.
He urged the Centre not to rush the process and said delimitation should be finalised only after extensive consultations, with a timeline extending up to March 2028.
TNT TS
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