'Rationale behind concern over delimitation, but Amit Shah gave assurance': Andhra Dy CM Pawan Kalyan
New Delhi, June 10
Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan on Wednesday acknowledged the rationale behind the opposition's argument against the delimitation exercise, while noting that Union Minister Amit Shah had proposed a proportional increase in the number of seats to avoid loss of representation for southern states in Parliament.
The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-first Amendment) Bill, the Delimitation Bill, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill in the Parliament, linked to the women's reservation in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, were defeated in Parliament.
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and former Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin had also argued against the delimitation exercise, pointing out that the increase in the number of seats based on population would hamper the representation of southern states in the Lok Sabha. Pawan Kalyan, while agreeing to their argument, said that the Centre's assurance did not 'go into the Opposition leaders' years.'
He suggested that Reddy and Stalin avoid looking at the issue as a North-South divide.
In an interview with ANI, he said, "There is a rationale behind what they (Opposition leaders) are saying. But where is the need for you to bring South and North? There is a rationale behind it, because we adhere to population control. Whereas maybe Northern states or certain states didn't do, or applied in a stringent manner, the way the South applied. But where is the debate of North and South?"
"Amit ji said in Parliament that we will give it in writing. Please allow the delimitation to happen. But somehow it didn't go into their ears," he added.
During the discussion on the Bills in Parliament, Amit Shah sought to allay apprehensions of opposition members about the Southern states losing their influence as a result of an increase in seats in the Lok Sabha, and said that while there will be about a 50 per cent increase in their seats, the relative proportion in total seats will also move up.
However, the text of the Bill suggested that the delimitation was to be carried out based on a recent census.
On April 17, in the division that took place on the Constitution Amendment Bill, 298 members voted in favour and 230 against. With the Constitution Amendment Bill defeated, the government later said it did not want to pursue the Delimitation Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, which were taken up together for discussion.
Meanwhile, when asked about southern states' contribution to the economy, in terms of investment and taxes, Pawan Kalyan noted that each state contributes differently. He added that the youth do not prefer the North versus South discussions and asked leaders to refrain from framing their arguments in such a way.
He said, "First of all, people are not that aware. Their struggle is for their employment, for the basic food, basic shelter, which we are not able to completely provide to everyone. These are the major pressing issues for people. Let us say I believe in their argument. What if a northern state says, 'we provide more soldiers to the Indian army', whereas the (economic) contribution is less? Everyone can bring one convenient argument. So it all depends on how well the political leadership conveniently argues."
"For me, in this argument, are you creating or is it going towards a solution? Are you creating a fuss about it? I keep meeting a lot of youngsters. They are irritated with this. First, give us employment. People who are from the 90s born or mid-80s born, and the current generation have different thought processes. People who've been handling politics have a different thought process. They're not correlating." Kalyan added.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Finally someone from the ruling alliance acknowledging the opposition's point. Kalyan says there's 'rationale' behind their argument — that's honest. But saying Amit Shah's assurance should be enough feels naive. After the bill was defeated, we need written guarantees, not just speeches. 😤 Southern states have implemented population control better, so why should we lose representation?
Kalyan makes a great point about the youth being 'irritated' with this North-South stuff. As someone born in the 90s, I can confirm — we're tired of these regional politics. Give us good jobs, affordable housing, and clean roads. Delimitation is important, but don't make it a wedge issue. Also, states like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu contribute massively to the GDP, so their concerns are real.
I appreciate Kalyan's balanced approach — he's not blindly supporting the Centre nor opposing the opposition. But let's be real: if delimitation is based on the next census, southern states will lose seats proportionally. Amit Shah's promise of a proportional increase sounds good, but the bill failed! We need a constitutional amendment that guarantees southern representation. Otherwise, it's just empty words. Also, comparing soldiers contribution to economic contribution is a weak argument — both matter.
Good to see a Deputy CM speaking sensibly. Kalyan is right that leaders shouldn't frame this as a North-South divide. But the opposition's fear is real — if seats increase based on population, disciplined southern states (with lower fertility rates) will get fewer seats. Amit Shah's assurance needs to be in writing, not just a speech. Otherwise, it's just political drama. 😒 The youth want concrete solutions, not endless debates.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.