Congress govt in Telangana to convene all-party meet on delimitation

Hyderabad: The Congress government in Telangana has said that it would organise an all-party meeting on the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies to ensure that the state does not suffer any injustice in the exercise.

Briefing reporters late on Thursday after a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, Information and Public Relations Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy claimed the NDA government at the Centre intends to hurt the south through delimitation of constituencies.

The number of constituencies in south India should increase on a pro rata basis, the way they may increase in the north, he said.

The Cabinet meeting also approved a draft bill to increase reservations for backward classes to 42 per cent, which would be passed in the Assembly. At present, 23 per cent is given for BCs.

The proposed all-party meeting would be led by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and senior Congress leader and former minister K Jana Reddy.

Srinivas Reddy, however, did not specify when the proposed all-party meeting would be convened.

The Telangana government's decision to conduct the all-party meeting came a day after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin held a similar all-party meeting on the issue of delimitation.

Telangana Backward Classes Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said the Cabinet meeting approved a draft bill to increase reservations for backward classes to 42 per cent, which would be passed in the Assembly.

The 42 per cent quota for backward classes was an election promise of the Congress.

The Congress government recently conducted a caste survey, an election promise of party leader Rahul Gandhi, to increase quotas for backward classes.

Srinivas Reddy said the Cabinet had also decided to make legislation on Scheduled Caste (SC) categorisation in the Assembly soon.

Last month, the state government accepted three key recommendations of the judicial commission appointed by it for the implementation of SC categorisation, while rejecting the panel's other suggestion to exempt the 'creamy layer' from reservations.

Srinivas Reddy also said the Cabinet decided to make grand arrangements for the Miss World pageant to be held in Telangana from May 7-31.

The Cabinet is keen to ensure that there are no shortcomings in the arrangements for the guests, who would come from about 140 countries to attend the pageant, the minister said.

Srinivas Reddy also said that a governing board, similar to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) of Lord Venkateswara temple, would be appointed for the Lord Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple at Yadadri near Hyderabad.