Vijay flags 'discriminatory' Lok Sabha seat hike, fears disparity

TVK chief Vijay has opposed the Union government's plan to increase Lok Sabha seats, calling it a 'discriminatory action'. He warned it would create unequal representation, punishing southern states for adhering to population control measures.

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay on Wednesday flagged concerns over the unequal representation between the southern and northern states, saying that this is a "discriminatory action" by the Union government.

Welcoming the existing Bill in an X post, Vijay said that the central government is trying to bring a major change in the composition of the Lok Sabha by increasing the total number of seats from 543 to 850. "Through the 'Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026', which aims to increase the number of members in the Lok Sabha from the current 543 to 850, the Union Government has proposed a significant change in the composition of the Lok Sabha. This bill is set to be taken up for discussion in the special session of Parliament beginning tomorrow. The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam welcomes the bill providing 33% reservation for women, which is to be taken up for discussion and passed in Parliament," he said.

'Discriminatory Action' Against Southern States

The TVK chief added that while the Bill will provide 1/3rd reservation to women in the Parliament, it will also cause a proportional disparity between the representation of southern States and the northern States. He said, that the representation of southern states will fall short in all the major enacting laws related to language, culture, State rights, and the formulation of Government policies. Calling this a 'discriminatory action' by the Union government, Vijay said that the Centre is punishing the States which adhered to its guidelines while rewarding those which didn't. "If that happens, in matters such as enacting laws related to language, culture, and state rights, as well as formulating the Union Government's policies, the representation of southern states will decrease, while that of northern states will increase. As a result, the demands of the people of southern states, particularly the voice of the people of Tamil Nadu, who have fully adhered to the Union Government's announcements, will go unheard in Parliament. This is a discriminatory action by the Union Government. The passage of this bill appears to impose a "punishment" on a state that has adhered to the Union Government's announcement for generations, while offering a "reward" to states that have not followed it," he said.

Fears of Reduced Financial Allocations

Further, he highlighted that the Bill can also impact financial allocation as the representation of the southern States will be reduced. "If this bill is passed, it could also impact financial allocations. A change in the number-proportion of parliamentary constituencies will reflect in the financial allocations to states. The state government has already been accusing the Union Government of causing losses to states like Tamil Nadu in financial sharing," he said.

Vijay noted that it can also impact the funding for population-based schemes and urged that the current practice should be continued. "Even during budget presentations, the Union Government does not provide adequate funds and schemes to Tamil Nadu. In such a situation, after the constituencies are redelimited, there is a likelihood that funding for population-based schemes will further decrease. I strongly urge that the attempt to pass the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which could cause harm to southern states, particularly Tamil Nadu, in various ways like this, be abandoned, and that the current old practice be continued." (ANI)

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