HYDERABAD: BRS working president K. T. Rama Rao demanded that the delimitation of seats be taken up only after the completion of the Census.
Speaking to reporters and party workers here on Wednesday, Rama Rao said that the BRS would support delimitation as long as it did not render injustice to southern states. If injustice was done to southern states, then the BRS would strongly oppose it and even launch agitations, he warned the Centre.
Rama Rao also dismissed the ‘hybrid’ approach of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to the delimitation process. He termed Revanth Reddy a ‘hybrid’ Chief Minister, stating that he lacked consistency in his politics.
Revanth Reddy would act as a representative of the Congress in the morning and align with the BJP in the evening, Rama Rao alleged, adding that such a hybrid model was reflected in his governance as well.
Extending support to the Women’s Reservation Bill, Rama Rao recalled that the BRS government had adopted unanimous resolutions in both the State Legislative Assembly and the State Legislative Council in favour of reservations for women in legislative bodies.
He also noted that the BRS had implemented 50 per cent reservations for women in local bodies and 33 per cent reservations in market committee appointments.
However, Rama Rao opposed linking the Women’s Reservation Bill with delimitation. He questioned why a simple issue was being complicated by the Centre and demanded the immediate implementation of reservations for women.
He pointed out that there are 119 Assembly seats in Telangana and urged the Centre to implement women’s reservations in these constituencies.
He also accused the Chief Minister of adopting dual standards on delimitation, stating that Revanth Reddy did not consult MLAs on the trifurcation of the GHMC.
Rama Rao said that having one approach for oneself and another for others was unacceptable. He added that, as a national party, the Congress must speak with clarity and responsibility without making contradictory statements.
Rama Rao further said that while Central leaders had indicated that seats would be increased by 50 per cent after delimitation, there was no mention of this in the Bill.
He recalled that the BRS had opposed delimitation based on population in 2022-23 itself, warning that it would be unjust to southern states.
Recalling that the last delimitation was carried out in 1971 based on the Census, he said that southern states had since successfully implemented family planning programmes. He questioned whether the Centre intended to “punish” these states for their efforts.
Stating that southern states currently account for 24 per cent representation in the Lok Sabha, Rama Rao insisted that this share should not deviate “even 0.01 per cent”.
He warned that any attempt to alter this balance would face strong resistance from southern states.
Rama Rao cautioned that ignoring the concerns of southern states could lead to serious consequences. “You are sitting on a powder keg; if you tamper with the representation of southern states, it will trigger a strong backlash,” he warned the BJP-led Central government, adding that the BRS would work with other political parties to resist such moves.
He urged the Centre to focus not only on politics but also on governance and public welfare.