Don't punish southern states for family planning: Chidambaram on delimitation

P Chidambaram opposed the proposed delimitation, arguing southern states must not be punished for successful family planning. He demanded that Lok Sabha seats be frozen at 543 and the proportion of seats for southern states be protected.

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Wednesday opposed the proposed delimitation exercise, arguing that southern states, including Tamil Nadu, should not lose their political representation for successfully implementing family planning policies over the past 25 years. He argued that the strength of the Lok Sabha should remain frozen at the existing 543 seats, warning that a significant expansion could dilute the character of the House.

"The Lok Sabha should be frozen at 543 seats; otherwise it will become the Chinese parliament. It will become a public meeting, it won't be a House," he said.

'Don't Punish States for Family Planning'

Chidambaram said the Tamil Nadu Assembly had unanimously adopted resolutions on the Tamil song and the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), and was expected to adopt, or may already have adopted, a resolution opposing delimitation. "That's the correct thing to do. The entire Tamil Nadu has won on that except the lone BJP member," Chidambaram said.

Chidambaram also demanded that the proportion of seats held by southern states, including Tamil Nadu, be protected during any future delimitation exercise. He said states that had implemented family planning measures should not be penalised through a reduction in their share of parliamentary representation.

"The proportion of southern states, including Tamil Nadu, should be frozen. They can't be punished for implementing family planning for the last 25 years," the former Union minister said.

Congress to Oppose Bill in JPC

The Congress leader said his party would oppose the proposed legislation in the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) and maintained that the bill should ultimately be withdrawn. "Congress party will oppose the bill in JPC and eventually the bill must be dropped," Chidambaram said, calling it an "unnecessary bill" that was intended to target minorities.

"There's no need for delimitation bill. Why are states which implemented family planning, being punished?" he added.

Comments on Jharkhand and Amit Shah

Chidambaram also spoke about the situation in Jharkhand, saying he and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had condemned the police action against protesters. "Shame on the police and their political masters. It should not have happened," he said.

His remarks came amid political exchanges over the handling of protests in Jharkhand, with the opposition questioning the use of police action and demanding accountability from the authorities.

Chidambaram also questioned whether Union Home Minister Amit Shah would be present in Parliament to introduce two Bills listed in his name. "Two bills are listed today in the name of the Home Minister. Will the Home Minister come today and move those bills? You should ask the Home Minister," he said.

On delimitation, Chidambaram maintained that the debate was ultimately about ensuring that states which successfully implemented population-control measures were not disadvantaged in Parliament. He said Tamil Nadu and other southern states had a legitimate reason to oppose any exercise that could alter their existing political weight and stressed that the Congress would oppose the proposed bill at the JPC stage.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)