Economic progress, not population, must be benchmark for delimitation: BRS
BRS on Saturday declared that it was opposed to delimitation in the form being contemplated by the BJP government at the Centre, and said the process in its current avatar would put the future of southern states at risk which was a cause for serious alarm.
Hyderabad: The BRS on Saturday declared that it was opposed to delimitation in the form being contemplated by the BJP government at the Centre, and said the process in its current avatar would put the future of southern states at risk which was a cause for serious alarm.
BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao, speaking at the conference of southern leaders in Chennai organised by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, said any delimitation exercise should reflect the economic progress of a state, and not just its population.
The BRS, he said, proposed that instead of increasing parliamentary seats based solely on population, the Centre should maintain the current number of Lok Sabha seats. It should increase MLA seats in Assemblies to improve governance efficiency. It should also factor in a state’s economic progress, administrative efficiency, and developmental achievements rather than just population metrics. “If the Centre’s goal is better governance and representation, it must explore alternatives that don’t sow discord between states,” he urged.
He highlighted that southern states contributed 36 per cent to India’s GDP despite constituting only 19 per cent of the population, proposing that these states deserve proportional representation in Parliament based on their economic output.
Rama Rao said delimitation went beyond merely adjusting parliamentary representation. If it goes forward in the manner it is proposed to, he said, “it could lead to the centralization of funds and fiscal control, jeopardising the progress of southern states.” He urged the Centre to reconsider its approach to “avoid turning democracy into authoritarian mobocracy.”
The southern states excelled in population control and economic development, and for decades faced discrimination from the Centre. “The current delimitation proposals will not only reduce our parliamentary representation but also inflict injustice across all sectors,” he said.
Speaking with reporters later, Rama Rao said “we are all Indians, but our regional identities and contributions must be respected. India can only become a superpower by 2047 if states driving progress are rewarded, not penalised.”
