Telugu Parties Support Modi on Delimitation
N Chandrababu Naidu, Pawan Kalyan join others in supporting key reform
Hyderabad: Regional parties in the two Telugu states, which usually act with abundant caution while dealing with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his major policy initiatives, have made a beeline to support the controversial Delimitation Bill to be tabled in Parliament on Thursday.
While the Telugu Desam, an NDA partner, with its decisive strength in the Lok Sabha, will stand behind Modi along with another NDA partner, Jana Sena, its arch-rival, YSR Congress, has been all praise for the Delimitation Bill and pledged its support to the Centre on Wednesday.
As a symbolic gesture, TD supremo and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu convened a meeting at his residence with Jana Sena chief and deputy CM Pawan Kalyan and BJP state president P.V.N. Madhav to formally announce the support to women's quota and delimitation.
In Telangana, the Bharata Rashtra Samithi extended its support to a 33 per cent quota for women and also the Delimitation Bill, however, with a rider that it would oppose the latter if it turned out to be detrimental to South India’s interests.
BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao announced that party supremo K. Chandrashekhar Rao would be in the forefront and fight against the Centre in the event of injustice to southern states.
The NDA, on the other hand, is confident of the passage of both Bills and is said to have been pinning hopes on smaller parties abstaining from voting so that the magic figure, two-thirds of present and voted, will come down.
“The Prime Minister has taken the issue seriously, and we were made to understand that the BJP will ensure passage of two Bills,” a Telugu Desam MP told Deccan Chronicle.
The YSR Congress, which never rubbed Modi on the wrong shoulder for apparent reasons, this time too toed the line.
Party general secretary Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, while welcoming Modi’s decision, told a national news agency that YSR Congress would support the Bill as delimitation would address the needs of the growing population. He, however, urged the Centre to clear misapprehensions and take into consideration the genuine concerns expressed by the parties.
Meanwhile, the NDA will fall short by 70 votes in the Lok Sabha and 29 in the Rajya Sabha of the mathematical muscle required for the passage of two Bills. Sources said the BJP has been reaching out to the smaller parties, including those in southern India, with an assurance that no region in the country would be hit by the proposed delimitation. To clear apprehensions, the Centre, through its communication channels, “leaked” that a 50 per cent increase will be in proportion to the existing ratio of seats in each state.
