HYDERABAD: BRS working president KT Rama Rao criticised the BJP over the failure of the women’s reservation bill in Parliament, holding the ruling party responsible for the setback.
He said the bill failed because the BJP linked it with delimitation, which led to its derailment. While all parties, including the BRS, supported women’s reservations, he alleged that the BJP’s approach ensured the bill did not pass.
Rama Rao said reservations could have been implemented within the existing 543 Lok Sabha seats, but the BJP chose to politicise the issue. By tying the bill to delimitation, he said, the party created complications and denied women representation.
He alleged that the move was aimed at disadvantaging southern states and ignored concerns raised by several parties, resulting in a lost opportunity for women’s empowerment.
He accused the BJP of using the issue for electoral purposes and said it had now failed women. Rama Rao demanded that a fresh bill be introduced without linking it to delimitation and implemented from the upcoming elections.
Rama Rao described delimitation as a complex issue that could reduce representation for southern states and called for wider consultations.
He also reiterated that increasing Assembly seats in Telangana, as provided under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, was the state’s right. He questioned why seats were increased in Jammu and Kashmir and Assam without linking them to nationwide delimitation while Telangana was ignored.
He demanded a separate bill in the current Parliament session to increase Telangana Assembly seats before 2028 without linking it to delimitation.