Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
Credit: PTI Photo
Hyderabad: The Congress government in Telangana appears to have taken a leaf out of Tamil Nadu's DMK playbook.
The state government has decided to convene an all-party meet to discuss the potential impact of the upcoming delimitation exercise on Telangana's Lok Sabha seats.
Officials believe the population-based delimitation poses a significant threat to the state's representation.
Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka announced he would send invitation letters to all political parties for the meeting, though the venue and timing are yet to be determined.
The DMK government in Tamil Nadu, led by Chief Minister M K Stalin, recently held a similar all-party meeting in their state to oppose the delimitation process.
Stalin has also called a gathering of all South Indian parties to address this pressing issue.
While critics view Stalin's initiatives as attempts to challenge the BJP in Tamil Nadu, DMK leaders have been visiting southern states to invite political leaders to participate in these discussions.
A DMK delegation has already met with YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, BRS working president KT Rama Rao, and Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
Conspiracy against south: Revanth
Revanth Reddy has been outspoken about the BJP-led central government's reported attempts at population-based delimitation, describing it as a "conspiracy against the South."
On Thursday, while speaking to reporters in Delhi after meeting with a DMK delegation, he stated that an action plan is being prepared to counter the Union Government's alleged conspiracy against Southern states.
"This is not delimitation of constituencies, but an attempt to limit the Southern states and reduce the importance of the South," the chief minister declared.
He warned that Southern states would not tolerate any diminishment of their significance. "We have served the country extensively. The BJP lacks substantial representation from Southern states and therefore seeks revenge after facing defeats in these regions.
"We will thwart the conspiracies hatched by the BJP-led central government against the Southern states. The Congress has already decided in principle to fight against the Central government," he asserted.
Revanth Reddy also announced plans to organize an all-party meeting specifically to discuss constituency delimitation in Telangana. He has instructed Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and former Minister K Jana Reddy to extend invitations to leaders across party lines.
The Telangana Chief Minister expressed his full support for Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin's leadership on the delimitation issue