Jagan Mohan Reddy writes to PM Modi: Delimitation must uphold the federal spirit of our democracy

Amaravati: Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to carry out the delimitation exercise in such a manner that no state would suffer any reduction in representation in the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha, especially in terms of the share of total number of seats in the House.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, the YSRCP chief highlighted that the gravity of the delimitation issue has the potential to disrupt the social and political harmony in the country.

"Request for the delimitation exercise to be conducted in such a manner that no state would have to endure any reduction in its representation in the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha, in terms of its share in total no. (number) of seats in the house," said Reddy.

The opposition leader emphasised that the Constitution should be amended in such a fashion that no state would have to encounter any reduction in its representation in the House of the People.

Calling delimitation exercise a matter of utmost importance for the entire nation with the potential to have far-reaching impact, he said it not only affects the political representation of some states in policy and law-making but also affects the deep sentiments of vast sections of India's population.

"Sir, in light of this, I strongly emphasize the need for extreme caution while initiating the delimitation exercise," said Jagan Mohan Reddy, adding that the imbalance in population control between different states is a major issue.

His letter comes at a time when several parties are convening in Chennai at the invitation of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin to brainstorm on the delimitation exercise.

The 84th Constitutional amendment had extended the existing embargo for the delimitation process, which would rearrange the number of seats in the Parliament for states, till 2026.

YSRCP Parliamentary leader YV Subba Reddy forwarded Jagan Mohan Reddy's letter to the PM, to DMK party leaders, emphasising the need for a fair and balanced approach in the delimitation process.

However, YSRCP did not mark its attendance at the all-party meeting on delimitation organised by DMK, though two DMK leaders, Tamil Nadu Public Works Minister EV Velu and DMK Rajya Sabha member P Wilson, had personally called on Jagan Mohan Reddy and invited him recently.

Further, Jagan Mohan Reddy underscored that an assumption that the delimitation exercise would follow a likely census in 2026 has caused 'severe anxiety for several states', especially southern states, which fear that their representation would be diminished.

Though the 42nd and 84th Constitutional amendments had frozen the delimitation exercise with the hope that states would demonstrate a similar level of success with respect to family planning, the YSRCP chief observed that the 2011 census had proved it wrong.

"The share of the southern states in the country's population has reduced over the 40-year period between 1971 and 2011. We believe that the share has reduced even further over the last 15-year period," he said, noting that the southern states sincerely followed population control programmes.

Consequently, Jagan Mohan Reddy drew the attention of Modi to the potential erosion of southern states' participation in national policy-making and legislative process if the delimitation process is conducted on the basis of population as it stands today.

Hence, the YSRCP supremo noted that Modi's leadership and guidance at this crucial juncture is most vital and an assurance from the PM would contribute greatly to allaying the fears of several states.