Telangana CM Warns Delimitation Must Not Harm Southern States' Interests

In a message addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he underlined the need to clearly distinguish between two fundamentally different issues--women's reservation, which enjoys broad consensus, and the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies, which continues to evoke serious concerns.

Reddy emphasised that the implementation of women's reservation, particularly in state assemblies, would be widely welcomed across the country if carried out without delay. However, he cautioned against using this popular reform as a pretext to advance a population-based delimitation of Lok Sabha seats--an approach that could disproportionately disadvantage southern and smaller states.

"Prime Minister @narendramodi, it is clear to every citizen that women's reservations (which everybody supports), and Delimitation of Lok Sabha seats (on which there are many concerns), are different. For example, if women's quota is implemented immediately for state-wise Assembly seats, the entire country will welcome. Using women's reservation as a red herring, attempts to push a population-based national Delimitation of Lok Sabha may serve the BJP in the very short run, but if it is unjust to Southern and smaller states, it will weaken our country in the long run," he wrote on X.

The Chief Minister warned that while such a move might offer short-term political gains to certain parties, it risks undermining the principles of fairness and federal balance that are essential to India's unity. He stressed that any policy perceived as unjust to specific regions could weaken the nation in the long run.

Calling for a more thoughtful and inclusive approach, Reddy urged the Centre to explore alternative models beyond a simple population-based formula for delimitation. He advocated for building a broad national consensus through consultations with all political parties before implementing any significant structural changes.

"National interest must be above any party interest. In the larger and long-term view, consider models other than simple pro-rata for #LokSabhaDelimitation. Here, I share one such potential model for your consideration. Kindly ensure we build a national consensus, starting with an all-party view instead of pushing this significant policy in an unfair way," he added.

In a diverse democracy like India, decisions of this magnitude must rise above partisan interests. As Reddy aptly noted, national interest must always take precedence over political expediency. The path forward should be guided by fairness, inclusivity, and a commitment to strengthening the unity of the nation.

- ANI