The Congress on Wednesday alleged that the Narendra Modi-led government is planning to push through a proposal to increase the size of the Lok Sabha by 50 per cent, warning that such a move could disadvantage southern and smaller states.
There has been no official confirmation from the government on the claim.
Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said that A. Revanth Reddy has already raised concerns, adding that more leaders may follow once the proposal becomes public.
"The Modi government is proposing to bulldoze a Bill to increase the size of the Lok Sabha by 50%. The number of seats allocated to each state is also proposed to be increased by 50%," Ramesh said in a post on X.
He argued that while a uniform 50 per cent increase may appear fair, it could have deeper consequences. "Any increase in the gap in the existing strengths of different states in the Lok Sabha will place South Indian states at a disadvantage," he said.
Ramesh noted that Uttar Pradesh’s representation could rise from 80 to 120 seats, while Tamil Nadu’s may increase from 39 to 59. Similarly, Kerala’s seats could go from 20 to 30, whereas Bihar’s may increase from 40 to 60.
"Overall, the southern states will gain 66 seats while the northern states will gain 200 seats," he said, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "unilaterally preparing a law which will disadvantage smaller states in the South, Northeast, and West."
"The Chief Minister of Telangana has already raised an alarm. Others may very well follow as this proposal becomes officially public," he added.
Last week, taking a swipe at Prime Minister Modi, the Congress had claimed that the "U-turn Ustad" now wants to implement the women's reservation law without completing the delimitation and census exercises by passing amendments at a "special two-day session" of Parliament.
The opposition party had alleged that this was a "weapon of mass diversion" to change the narrative from the government's "foreign policy failures and setbacks and from the LPG and energy crisis facing the country".
Ramesh had said the Modi government is also planning to increase the size of the Lok Sabha and the Vidhan Sabhas by 50 per cent, which also needs careful deliberation.
(With inputs from PTI)