Karnataka leaders slam delimitation, cite North-South population gap

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara backs CM Siddaramaiah’s criticism of the proposed delimitation exercise. Siddaramaiah called it a 'blatant assault on federalism' and urged the Centre to halt the move without public debate.

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday backed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's criticism of the proposed delimitation exercise, stating that North India has a larger population as compared to the southern states. Addressing the media in Bengaluru, Parameshwara said, "The Chief Minister's statement that it should not be based on population is correct. It has been suggested because the population is higher in North India. Our population is comparatively lower."

'Blatant Assault on Federalism': Siddaramaiah

This comes after Siddaramaiah shared the numbers and called the delimitation exercise a "blatant assault on federalism." He urged the Centre not to move ahead with the Delimitation Bill without consultations and public debate.

The Karnataka CM wrote on X, "This is not just expansion; it is a concentration of power. This is not cooperative federalism - this is another blatant assault on federalism, designed to concentrate power and silence states like Karnataka. Having failed to win the trust of southern people, the Modi Government is now attempting to weaken our voice through a manipulative restructuring of representation."

"Such a structural change cannot be pushed without consultations or public debate. At a time of economic and global challenges, the Union Government is more focused on political arithmetic over national priorities. The people of Karnataka - and all who believe in federalism - deserve fairness, respect, and transparency. We will firmly oppose any attempt to weaken our voice," the post read.

Centre's Plan to Increase Lok Sabha Seats

The Centre is planning to bring an amendment Bill to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816 from 543 seats. The idea is to have at least 273 seats reserved for women. According to sources, the key agenda may include amendments to the 2023 Nari Shakti Vandan Act and the introduction of the Delimitation Commission Bill.

Clash Over School Language Policy

Meanwhile, G Parameshwara slammed the Karnataka Governor's move to review the state government's new policy for grading of the third language in schools. The move has sparked a fresh Hindi imposition debate, and the State Home Minister said, "This is nothing new. It has existed from the beginning, especially in states where Hindi is not widely used. It would be better if this issue were resolved quickly." (ANI)

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