CHANDIGARH: Both the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have opposed the proposed delimitation of Lok Sabha seats and Assembly constituencies in Punjab, terming it a “hidden agenda” of the BJP and alleging it would be discriminatory against the state.
The opposition comes after Chief Ministers of non-BJP-ruled southern states, including Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, stepped up their attacks against the Union Government’s proposal on delimitation ahead of the implementation of reservation for women.
Sources said that, as per an analysis allegedly based on the draft of the proposed delimitation Bill and the 2011 Census, Punjab’s population stood at 2.7 crore. Accordingly, the state’s Lok Sabha seats might increase from the present 13 to 19 in the new House under a population-based formula.
However, its proportional share could decline from 2.4 per cent in a 543-member House to 2.1 per cent in an 850-member House. Under a proportional system, the state’s share could remain unchanged.
The opposition parties have argued that the percentage representation of states should remain the same as in the current Lok Sabha.
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said that the proposed delimitation of parliamentary and Assembly constituencies was the BJP’s “hidden attack” on states like Punjab which had rejected the party time and again.
He said it would lead to political discrimination and further weaken and undermine the federal structure of the country, which is already under attack from the saffron party.
Warring warned that the Congress would launch a mass mobilisation drive across the state against delimitation, alleging that its ultimate aim was not to empower but to weaken states like Punjab which have not accepted the BJP.
At the same time, he dared the ruling Aam Aadmi Party to call a special session of the Punjab Assembly and pass a resolution against delimitation to register strong dissent against the move.
Warring pointed out that the states that would allegedly be at a disadvantage include Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, while those that would gain include Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.
“Does that leave any doubt about the actual aim and purpose of the delimitation?” he asked.
Warring further noted that the BJP government, knowing well that it could not bulldoze this law on its own in Parliament, had used the Women’s Reservation Bill as a camouflage for this purpose.
“The government is trying to bring the law through the backdoor which the Congress will not let it do,” he warned, while adding, “The Women’s Reservation Bill has already been passed in Parliament way back in September 2023. Women’s reservation is not a favour, it’s their right. From Sonia Gandhi’s vision to today, Congress has always stood firmly for women’s political empowerment. Implementation must be sincere, not symbolic.”
Meanwhile, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said his party favoured an all-party initiative to oppose the delimitation move.
Elaborating on its allegedly discriminatory nature, he said, “Punjab is a predominantly minority character state. We will be the biggest victim of this population-based delimitation. Compared with a nominal increase in seats for Punjab, Haryana will witness a nearly hundred per cent increase and double the number of its seats in the Lok Sabha. Where does that leave us? We are already a victim of systematic discrimination and injustice.”
Badal said the delimitation move punished Punjab for following the national agenda on population control and rewarded states that defied those national goals.
He termed the move a “death blow” to the already weakened federal structure, adding, “This move is a conspiracy to hand over the control of India to just four Hindi heartland states, UP, MP, Bihar and Rajasthan, almost doubling their strength in the Lok Sabha and giving them a combined strength of over 40 per cent in the Lok Sabha. This will render all other states virtually irrelevant.”
Badal, however, reiterated his party’s unequivocal support for the proposed Women’s Reservation Bill, saying that this was consistent with the vision and principles handed down by the great Gurus.
“SAD is strongly in favour of women’s reservation. But we oppose the move to use it as a camouflage for the dangerous delimitation manoeuvres.”
He added, “In the interest of true federal unity and integrity of the country, SAD will spearhead an all-party initiative in Punjab to oppose this assault on the state as well as on the federal structure of the country.”