Working president of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) K.T. Rama Rao has asked people and politicians of the southern States cutting across party lines to raise voice against the impending injustice staring at the southern States with the proposed delimitation of constituencies to be taken up in 2026, based on population.
It is unfortunate that the southern States which followed the Centre’s policies to control the population growth are going to be punished for the same in the delimitation of constituencies. Believing the Centre’s words that controlling population growth would help the country overcome several problems, the southern States had followed the population control policies and succeeded in the goal, Mr. Rama Rao said in a statement.
However, the southern States are now facing the threat of injustice simply for following the Centre’s words and controlling the population. At the same time, the States which did not care about the Centre’s words for population control, particularly the northern States, are poised to benefit in the delimitation exercise on the grounds of higher population growth, he pointed out.
Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana which followed the progressive policies to control the population growth and stayed ahead in all human development indices compared to the northern States were going to be punished in the delimitation, he noted. “With only 18% population, the southern States have been contributing 35% to the country’s GDP and the proposed delimitation based on population is a gross injustice to them”, he felt.
Mr. Rama Rao termed the proposed delimitation of constituencies based on population not only as “irrational but could also lead to disparities in the federal structure” and stressed the need to raise the voice against the injustice awaiting the Southern States.
