Revanth Reddy demands 33 per cent representation of southern States in Parliament

Says the BJP-led government hatching conspiracies to cut down the representation from existing 24 per cent to 19 per cent in the guise of delimitation

HYDERABAD: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy demanded that the Union government ensure 33 per cent representation of southern States in the Parliament in recognition of their tax contribution to the nation. In the guise of parliamentary constituencies’ delimitation, the BJP-led Union government was hatching conspiracies to cut down the southern States’ representation from the current 24 per cent to 19 per cent, he charged.

The Chief Minister virtually participated in ‘The Hindu Huddle’ held in Bengaluru on Friday. Responding to a question from N Ram, Director of The Hindu Group, on delimitation, he demanded that the Union government convene an all-party meeting, followed by stakeholders and civil society.

The government should discuss terms of reference and share its vision for delimitation, besides the factors for increasing or decreasing seats. If it was done on population basis or pro rata basis, Southern States would be affected adversely, he stressed.

Through pro rata basis, Uttar Pradesh would get 40 additional seats to the existing 80 seats, while Tamil Nadu would end up with just 60 seats. This would create huge gap in the representation of north and south States, he pointed out.

“Merit should be appreciated as Telangana and other Southern States are contributing more taxes to Union government. Instead, the BJP-led government wants to punish,” Revanth Reddy charged.

Interestingly, in sharp contrast to the Congress government’s practice in Telangana, the Chief Minister stressed on the need to continue the policies of past governments.

“Policies should be implemented effectively to protect the interests of stakeholders. Just because governments change, policies should not be changed, as it will be detrimental to winning the investors’ confidence,” Revanth Reddy added.