Taking exception to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s remarks that southern states would face political injustice in the delimitation exercise, Telangana BJP president N. Ramchander Rao on Wednesday alleged that the Chief Minister was indulging in divisive politics.
He asserted that southern states would not suffer any injustice.
Rao termed Reddy’s letters to the chief ministers of southern states and Prime Minister Narendra Modi--warning of injustice to the region--as a “divisive action”. He also alleged that the Congress seeks to divide people on the basis of religion, caste and now region.
“Southern states would not face injustice. PM Modi has said that there would be no injustice to any region in the country. As the president of the BJP in a southern state, I am saying there would be no injustice to southern states. We need to repel the Congress, which is spreading false information,” Rao told reporters.
He added that the BJP treats all regions of the country equally.
Rao was speaking after flagging off a scooter rally organised by the BJP’s Mahila Morcha and Yuva Morcha in support of the women’s reservation Bill to be tabled in Parliament. He said the Bill could not be passed when the Congress was in power due to a lack of sincerity.
He further claimed that Congress allies, including late Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav and RJD leader Lalu Prasad, had opposed the Bill at the time. However, he said, the legislation was eventually passed in Parliament in 2023 due to the efforts of Prime Minister Modi.
Meanwhile, BJP MP and the party’s OBC Morcha national president K. Laxman criticised the “hybrid” model proposed by Revanth Reddy for increasing Lok Sabha seats. Under the proposal, 50 percent of the additional seats would be allocated on a pro rata basis and the remaining 50 per cent based on Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) and other performance criteria.
Questioning whether the “hybrid” model reflects the Congress’s official stand, Laxman said AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi should clarify their position.
Noting that delimitation has always been based on population, he said allocation based on GSDP would be unconstitutional.
Referring to Reddy’s concerns over delimitation, Laxman asked what criteria the Congress government in Telangana had followed while recently trifurcating the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).
“Did you conduct any all-party meeting before dividing GHMC? Did you take the views of any political party? Did you discuss it in the Assembly?” he asked in a statement.
He alleged that the GHMC was divided solely to serve the interests of the AIMIM.
Upping the ante against the pro rata model, Chief Minister Reddy on Tuesday urged his southern counterparts to join forces. He also wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking an all-party meeting to deliberate on the issue.
In his letters to the chief ministers of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and the Union Territory of Puducherry, Reddy said that despite their substantial contribution to the national economy, southern states would see a relative erosion of their voice in Parliament if the pro rata model is implemented.
(With inputs from PTI)