Jairam Ramesh slams Centre's 'lie' on delimitation for south states

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh accuses the Centre of misleading southern states, claiming a proposed bill for delimitation will reduce their Lok Sabha representation despite plans to increase total seats to 850. He called the move a 'deliberate deceit'.

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday alleged that the Centre lied about addressing the interests of southern states, as their representation may shrink in the Lok Sabha with the proposed Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, for the delimitation process.

Details of Proposed Changes

According to sources, the government has proposed to increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha to 850, with 815 seats proposed to the States and the remaining 35 for the Union Territories. The Lok Sabha has 543 seats at present. The government is planning to de-link the delimitation process from the 2027 census.

Ramesh Accuses PM of Deceit

In an X post, Jairam Ramesh claimed that the copy of the Bill circulated with the MPs contradicts the Centre's assurances for the southern states. He flagged that along with the South Indian states, even smaller states in the northwest and east of India may also lose their strength in proportion of seats in the Lower House of Parliament.

Ramesh said, "The Prime Minister is a so-called Leader whose only distinguishing feature is his unmatched ability to be a Misleader. He is a habitual liar who cannot speak the truth, even by mistake. He has engaged in deliberate deceit with the nation over the question of delimitation. The Bills that his Government has circulated for the special session of Parliament contradict all the so-called assurances that he has been giving. The southern states will lose their strength in the Lok Sabha, and so will smaller states in northwest India and states in the east."

"What happened to the uniform proportionate increase of strength in the Lok Sabha for all states - that was promised by the PM and some of his colleagues? That has not happened. The PM's assurances cannot be trusted. He is unable to rise beyond his crude power-grabbing impulses and be a statesman, even on an issue as sensitive as delimitation. The Bills were uploaded on Dr. Ambedkar's birth anniversary. The delimitation provisions are an insult to his legacy and a reflection of his warning - delivered in the Constituent Assembly on November 25, 1949 - about the dangers of a government that isn't guided by constitutional morality," the X post read.

Link to Women's Reservation and Opposition Stance

This comes as Parliament is set to take up crucial discussions on the constitution amendment bill to implement the 33 per cent reservation for women from the 2029 Lok Sabha polls in a three-day special sitting of the budget session starting April 16.

As Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, is linked to the delimitation process in the Lok Sabha, the government has proposed to increase the number of seats in the House to 850. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and several other leaders in the Opposition parties have demanded a pro-rata basis increase in the number of seats in the Lok Sabha. However, according to Article 81 of the Constitution, the number of seats in the Lok Sabha is linked to the population in a constituency. (ANI)

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