Congress leader Jairam Ramesh questions the Centre over its delimitation proposal, demanding an all-party meeting. He cited Mallikarjun Kharge's letter to PM Modi and raised concerns about a previously defeated bill from April 2026.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday questioned the Centre over its stand on delimitation and demanded clarity on whether the government had prepared a fresh proposal and planned to convene an all-party meeting on the issue. In a post on X, Ramesh said Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 16, 2026, on delimitation, to which Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju replied on Monday. "The Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge ji had written to the PM on Oct 16, 2026 on Delimitation. Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju replied to this letter yesterday," he wrote.
Ramesh said Rijiju had referred to the Union Home Minister’s consultations with some political parties in March 2026 but had not mentioned the commitments allegedly made during those discussions, which, he claimed, were not included in the Constitution Amendment Bill taken up in the Lok Sabha on April 16, 2026. He said the Bill was defeated in the Lok Sabha on April 17, 2026, adding that most of the parties consulted, according to Rijiju, had voted against it. "In his reply, Kiren Rijiju has referred to the HM’s selective consultations on delimitation with some political parties in March 2026. He does not mention that the HM had apparently made some commitments in those consultations that were NOT contained in the Constitution Amendment Bill that was taken up on April 16, 2026. The Bill was deservedly and decisively defeated in the Lok Sabha on April 17, 2026. Most of the parties that were consulted (according to Kiren Rijiju) had voted AGAINST the Bill," said the Congress leader.
Ramesh poses three questions to government
Ramesh then posed three questions to the government, asking whether it had a firm new proposal on delimitation and whether it had discussed it with any political party. He also questioned the government’s refusal to convene an all-party meeting to present its proposal transparently and hear the views of all parties collectively. Ramesh said this had been a consistent demand of the Opposition, raised by Kharge six times in writing—four times to the Prime Minister and twice to Rijiju. “Does the Modi Govt have a firm NEW proposal for delimitation that it has discussed with any party?” he wrote," he asked. “Why is the Modi Govt stubbornly refusing to call an All-Party meeting on Delimitation, present its NEW proposal in a transparent manner and hear the views of all parties in a collective forum?” Ramesh added. He further questioned whether the government intended to reintroduce the defeated Bill and attempt to pass it with a two-thirds majority. “Is it the Modi Govt’s intention to bring back the defeated Bill and make another attempt to get it passed with a super-tainted two-thirds majority, that will no doubt fail again?” he wrote.
Kharge, Rijiju exchange letters on issue
Raising procedural and constitutional concerns, Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday (October 16) has written a fourth letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking an immediate all-party meeting to discuss proposals on delimitation before they are finalised and brought to Parliament. Kharge sought clarity on several fronts. He has asked the government to formally clarify the status of the Monsoon Session, which remains un-prorogued, and to convene an all-party meeting before tabling any new delimitation proposals. The Congress has also demanded sufficient lead time for political parties and regional stakeholders to examine draft bills, and urged the government to avoid rushed special sessions and instead build parliamentary consensus.
Meanwhile, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday (October 19) replied to the letter of Kharge, stating that the government had made repeated efforts to consult the Opposition to discuss the proposals of the Bill. In his letter, Rijiju said he had written to Kharge on March 16, March 26 and April 12, 2026, seeking the Congress’s support and cooperation. He also said he had personally discussed the matter with Kharge and met the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, during the Monsoon Session. (ANI)
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