Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has expressed strong reservations about the Centre's proposal to increase Lok Sabha and state assembly seats by 50% through delimitation, alleging that the move is part of a 'hidden conspiracy' that could politically discriminate against south India.
Speaking at an event in New Delhi, Revanth Reddy said the proposed exercise would disproportionately benefit northern states and significantly weaken the political relevance of southern states in national politics.
Terming the proposal 'anti-South India', the chief minister warned that the move could alter the balance of political power in favour of a few large northern states, enabling them to determine who forms the government at the Centre without requiring support from the South.
Revanth Reddy pointed out that there was already a substantial gap in parliamentary representation between northern and southern states and argued that any increase in seats should preserve a fair regional balance rather than deepen the divide.
He alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was pursuing a strategy aimed at consolidating power at the Centre without depending on southern states.
Calling it a 'final blow' to southern states, Revanth Reddy said the delimitation proposal would intensify the north-south divide and undermine the federal spirit of the country.
He further said that even if delimitation is carried out on the basis of population, southern states would be unfairly penalised for successfully implementing family planning and population control measures over the years.
BJP Telangana president N Ramchander Rao strongly condemned the remarks of the chief minister, rejecting the argument that delimitation of constituencies would politically disadvantage southern states.
