CM: Shah's claim on delimitation is not 'trustworthy'

Bengaluru, PTI: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday said Union Home Minister Amit Shah's claim that southern states will not be disadvantaged in the delimitation process is not "trustworthy" and that his statement appears to be aimed at creating confusion among the southern states. The Chief Minister's remarks came a day after Shah assured the southern states that they would not lose a 'single Parliamentary seat' due to delimitation. "Going by the Home Minister's vague remarks, it seems that e i ther he lacks proper information or there is a deliberate intent to disadvantage the southern states, including Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh," he said in a statement. Siddaramaiah said that if the central government genuinely wishes to ensure fairness for the southern states, the Home Minister must clarify whether delimitation will be based on the latest population ratio or the current number of Lok Sabha seats.

"It is evident that if delimitation is carried out based on the latest population ratio, it will be a severe injustice to the southern states. To prevent such unfairness, previous delimitation exercises were conducted using the 1971 census as the basis, following constitutional amendments," he stated. According to him, over the past 50 years, southern states have controlled population growth while progressing significantly. Meanwhile, northern states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh have failed to regulate population growth and continue to lag in development. "As a result, if delimitation is based on the latest census, southern states, including Karnataka, may see a reduction in their number of Lok Sabha seats, while northern states will gain more seats. In either scenario, the south will bear the loss. Is the Home Minister unaware of this?" he asked. Citing several studies, the CM said if delimitation is based solely on the latest census (2021 or 2031), the number of Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka is likely to decrease from 28 to 26. Similarly, Andhra Pradesh's seats would drop from 42 to 34, Kerala's from 20 to 12, and Tamil Nadu's from 39 to 31."The number of Lok Sabha seats in UP would increase from 80 to 91, Bihar's from 40 to 50, and Madhya Pradesh's from 29 to 33. If this is not injustice, what is?" the CM wondered.

Terming it "unacceptable", he said that if southern states, including Karnataka, are to be treated fairly in the delimitation process, either the 1971 Census must be used as the basis or the number of Lok Sabha seats should be increased proportionally, without relying solely on population figures. "However, looking at the extraordinary enthusiasm shown by the Modi-led government for delimitation, it appears that the real intent is to punish the people of the southern states for resisting his party's dominance," the CM alleged. Siddaramaiah highlighted that during the Karnataka election campaign, BJP President J P Nadda had warned that if the people of Karnataka did not support the BJP, the state would not receive Modi's blessings. "Every action taken by the Union Government against our state proves this statement to be true," he stated.