Telangana: BRS opposes linking women's reservation with delimitation

Hyderabad: Telangana's Opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President K T Rama Rao on Wednesday today made it unequivocally clear that the party has consistently supported the Women’s Reservation Bill and has a proven track record of implementing women’s empowerment measures during its tenure in government.

He said that under the leadership of K Chandrashekar Rao, the BRS government not only supported the Women’s Reservation Bill but also passed resolutions in both the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council.

Furthermore, the government implemented 50 per cent reservation for women in local bodies and ensured one-third reservation for women in market committees, demonstrating its unwavering commitment to women’s empowerment.

Talking to reporters on Wednesday however, KTR strongly objected to the unnecessary linkage being made between women’s reservation, delimitation, and constitutional amendments. He questioned why the Union Government is complicating a straightforward issue.

“Implement women’s reservation immediately. There are 543 seats in Parliament apply it there. In Telangana, there are 119 Assembly seats implement it here as well. Why create confusion by linking it to seat increases and delimitation?” he asked.

KTR clarified that as per constitutional procedure, the sequence must be followed properly - first the census, then delimitation, and only thereafter any structural changes.

He asserted that BRS would support any reasonable proposal that does not harm the interests of southern states, but warned that any attempt to disadvantage South India would be strongly opposed, including through protests if necessary.

Turning to the bill introduced in Parliament, KTR expressed serious concerns over its apparent inconsistencies. While Union leaders have spoken about a 50 per cent increase in seats across legislative bodies, the bill itself makes no mention of such an increase.

He reiterated that BRS has been raising concerns over delimitation and representation since 2022–23, warning that using population as the sole basis for increasing parliamentary seats would unfairly penalise southern states.

KTR recalled that the freeze on parliamentary seats introduced in 1971 was based on population control considerations. Over the past five decades, southern states have successfully implemented family planning measures.

“Are you now going to penalise us for following national policy?” he questioned.

He emphasised that southern India currently accounts for approximately 24 per cent representation in the Lok Sabha, and this proportion must be protected at all costs.

“Even a 0.01 per cent reduction is unacceptable. The six southern states together hold about 24 per cent of Lok Sabha seats, and this must remain intact. Any attempt to alter this will face strong resistance,” KTR warned.

He cautioned the Union Government that ignoring these concerns would have serious consequences.

“You are sitting on a powder keg. If southern India’s representation is tampered with, it will lead to a massive backlash,” he said, adding that BRS is prepared to join hands with other parties to oppose such moves.

Launching a sharp attack on Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, KTR described him as a “hybrid Chief Minister,” alleging inconsistency in his political stance.

“In the morning he represents Congress, by evening he aligns with BJP. Naturally, such a hybrid approach reflects in governance as well,” KTR remarked.

He further criticised the Chief Minister for double standards, pointing out that while procedures are being demanded from others, the same were ignored when proposing the division of Hyderabad into three corporations without consulting GHMC representatives, ZPTC members, or MLAs.

“You cannot have one policy for yourself and another for others. As a national party, Congress must speak with clarity and responsibility instead of making contradictory statements,” he added.