New Delhi: A major political controversy erupted after Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi alleged that the Centre's proposed delimitation exercise would weaken the political representation and interests of several states, drawing sharp reactions from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), its allies and Congress leaders.
Speaking to reporters at Mamallapuram in Chennai on Saturday, Rahul Gandhi urged political parties across the country, particularly those in Tamil Nadu, to unite against the proposed delimitation exercise, alleging that it would undermine the state's political representation and interests.
The LoP accused the BJP of attempting to use delimitation to reduce Tamil Nadu's political influence and called on all regional and national parties to come together in Parliament to defeat any legislation that could adversely affect the state's representation.
He alleged that the proposed exercise was designed to "disenfranchise" the people of Tamil Nadu and take away their political power.
While the BJP strongly criticised Rahul Gandhi's remarks, Congress leaders maintained that the proposed delimitation exercise posed a serious challenge to the interests of southern states.
Congress MP Manickam Tagore told reporters that the coming week would be "an important week in the history of Tamil Nadu" and insisted that the state's voice should not be reduced.
"For delimitation, we are very clear that next week is going to be an important week in the history of Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu's voice should not be reduced. Delimitation is against Tamil Nadu. Previously, all 40 MPs from Tamil Nadu voted against this delimitation," he said.
"Therefore, we are very clear that now also, you should ask each MP from Tamil Nadu what they are going to do regarding delimitation. I am one of those MPs, and I can say that I will vote against it," he added.
Congress MP Imran Masood, speaking to IANS, said delimitation would pose a "major challenge to the country's integrity" and claimed that it would be unfair to all southern states.
Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat also opposed the proposal, alleging that the exercise was being carried out from a political perspective rather than with representation in mind.
"I am against delimitation, and that's why I'm against it; because of the way it has been done in Assam. The BJP government is there, and they are deliberately doing it from the perspective of votes, not from the perspective of representation, purely from the perspective of votes," he said.
"If we look at the 543 members we have today in Parliament, I think many of our people don't even get to participate fully. We just remain a small part inside Parliament. Will increasing the number be fair to people?" Bhagat asked.
The BJP and its allies, however, asserted that Congress was portraying delimitation as a threat because it is a "dynastic political party".
BJP spokesperson Tuhin Sinha hit back at Rahul Gandhi, saying it was "natural that the parties most affected by the issue of delimitation are the dynastic political parties".
"They fear that when more young people enter politics, when the number of seats increases by 50 per cent, and when youth and women from non-dynastic and non-political backgrounds enter politics in large numbers, their grip and control over their respective parties will weaken," he said.
Rejecting Rahul Gandhi's allegations, Sinha added, "I would like to tell Rahul Gandhi that we have repeatedly clarified that the number of seats in the Southern states, as well as in every other state, will increase on a pro-rata basis."
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, speaking to IANS, accused Rahul Gandhi of attempting to obstruct the government's work.
"Rahul Gandhi is making every possible effort to ensure that the government is not able to undertake any major work, any good work, or any work in the interest of the country, because he dances to the tune of foreign forces. But I have full faith that the Members of Parliament elected from different political parties understand all these things," Maurya said.
Rajasthan BJP President Madan Rathore also defended the proposed exercise, telling reporters that Congress feared losing its position if delimitation was carried out.
"Congress feels that if delimitation takes place, they will lose their position," he said.
"Today, there are some Lok Sabha constituencies with a population of 50 lakh, while some have only 1 lakh people. Therefore, this process has to be carried out. Delimitation must happen," Rathore added.
Janata Dal-United MLC Neeraj Kumar Singh said the issue should be debated within the constitutional framework rather than being politicised.
Speaking to IANS, the JD(U) MLC said, "In delimitation, every political party has to determine its role. And under the constitutional framework in the country's Constitution, delimitation is essential."
BJP leader T.R. Srinivas also criticised Rahul Gandhi's remarks, accusing him of spreading misinformation about the delimitation process.
"On the delimitation process, Rahul Gandhi, yesterday in Tamil Nadu, says that it's an utter conspiracy of the BJP to take the power away from Tamil Nadu. It is very unfortunate that we are having such an immature Leader of the Opposition who acts as leader of propaganda and day in and day out spreads fake news," Srinivas said.
"He (Rahul Gandhi) doesn't read the Indian Constitution properly, but he carries a copy of it to show that he knows the Constitution very well," he added, referring to constitutional provisions governing the delimitation process.
With IANS inputs