‘Follow Vajpayee way in delimitation’: Revanth Reddy’s message to PM Modi from opposition meet

“Narendra Modi can follow Vajpayee’s method. Don’t increase Lok Sabha seats for another 25 years. Do delimitation taking (each) state as a unit. Conduct delimitation within the state. Change boundaries of Lok Sabha seats inside the state based on the latest census. Increase SC, ST seats in states. Provide 33% reservation for women in every state,” he said, adding that “anything less will reduce the south to a passive audience in the political theatre of India”.

He put forth conditions to the Centre if they want to do delimitation at any cost. “The south has 130 seats out of 543 seats. It means a political proportion of around 24 per cent. Political demand of the south is to increase this to 33 per cent,” he said.

Reddy said that the South will not accept population-based delimitation. “If BJP does delimitation based on population, South India will lose political voice. North will make us secondary citizens. Everyone here agrees,” Reddy said. Everyone in the south and Punjab should oppose the BJP’s move to make states like UP, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan dominate the rest of the country, he said, adding, “We cannot accept this at any cost.”

Reddy also said that the pro-rata formula is not acceptable to him. “Pro-rata formula will also hurt us. The problem of pro-rata is that it changes the power gap. Any government is decided by a majority of one seat or one vote. We have a history of the government falling because of one vote,” Reddy said.

Reddy, who hails from Malkargiri constituency in Telangana, said that he understands the problem of large constituencies. “But it is time for the Centre to end the delimitation policy against the south and Punjab. It is time for the Centre to repay and reward us for our contribution to nation-building for the last 50 years,” he said.

He went on to say that the BJP is implementing a policy of “demographic penalty”.

“When India decided to attempt family planning, South India has done very well but big states in north India have failed. We achieved the fastest economic growth, bigger GDP, higher per capita income, job creation, better infrastructure development, better governance and best social welfare… We contribute more to the national exchequer and get lesser allocations… We are one country, and we respect it. But we cannot accept this proposed delimitation because it will politically limit us. It will punish us for being performing states. We have to stop BJP from implementing unfair delimitation,” he said.

He said a resolution will soon be passed in the Telangana Assembly against delimitation and asked other states in the south and Punjab to do the same. South should be considered similar to union territories and states in the Northeast of India where the MP-population ratio is not proportional to the national average, he said.