Hyderabad: Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy has ridiculed Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s ‘hybrid model’ proposed for increasing the number of Lok Sabha seats, as being totally against Bharat Ratna Dr BR Ambedkar’s ideology.
Addressing the media after an all-party meeting held in Delhi on women’s reservation in the legislative bodies on Tuesday, April 14, Kishan Reddy said that if the seats in Parliament are increased based on the economic index and the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), Gujarat will get the maximum number of seats.
“Should we allow that to happen?” he asked, describing Revanth Reddy as only coming next to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in terms of intellectuality.
Also observing that Hyderabad and Rangareddy districts contribute 70 per cent of the state’s GSDP, Kishan Reddy questioned whether 70 per cent of Assembly seats should be allocated to these districts, leaving only 30 per cent for the rest of the state.
Accusing Revanth Reddy of attempting to create a north-south divide, he sought answers from Rahul Gandhi on the former’s views on delimitation.
He said that currently, only the caste and population census is being conducted, which could take time to be tabled in Parliament. This would be followed by the constitution of a delimitation committee to study the modalities of the exercise.
“The delimitation committee will visit all Lok Sabha segments across the country, meet representatives of various political parties, and seek inputs from civil society and the media before submitting its report,” he said, estimating that the process would take between 2.5 and 3 years.
He added that after the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, reservations for women, Scheduled Castes, and Scheduled Tribes would be determined based on the final census data and the committee’s report.
He said that a major challenge in the delimitation exercise would be identifying BC-reserved constituencies, and stressed that all stakeholders must approach the issue in an apolitical manner.
Meanwhile, he said the Centre is committed to implementing 33 per cent reservation for women in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
Countering Revanth Reddy’s concerns about southern states losing their share of seats compared to northern states after delimitation, Kishan Reddy asserted that Telangana’s share in the Lok Sabha, currently at 24 per cent, would remain unchanged.
He also pointed out that it was the Congress that carried out delimitation in the past, during which the share of seats in northern states increased by 24 per cent.
“Was Congress not responsible for that?” he asked.
He urged all parties to cooperate in implementing 33 per cent reservation for women.
| Posted by Vivek Bhoomi | 
