Delimitation discontent: Why 'punish' South India for its progress?

The India Today Conclave South debate highlighted a key concern: how to increase representation while maintaining South's relative political power in Parliament?The upcoming delimitation exercise should not result in a reduction in political influence of the southern states, which have controlled population and done better development than the North, said Opposition leaders at the India Today Conclave South in Kochi, whereas representatives from the BJP and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) argued for proportional representation to be maintained in the region.The southern states took measures to control population and made progress in health and education, and they should not be “punished” for it, said Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jebi Mather during the session ‘The Southern Challenge: Federalism, Delimitation and the Politics of Power’ on September 29.“We (southern states) have done what the Centre asked. Now give us the benefit of that. Don’t snatch away the political voice from us by increasing the numbers in the way they want,” she said.BJP Lok Sabha MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar responded that a 50 per cent increase across the southern states would ensure that the proportional representation of the South in the Lok Sabha remains largely intact while providing for more MPs. He stated that Karnataka would have 14 more seats. Wadiyar was keener on the allegations of potential gerrymandering. “Convenient excuses of gerrymandering are really useless in front of the people,” he argued, saying it did not have much effect on electoral outcomes. Former Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Rajya Sabha member K.R. Suresh Reddy put down the party bottom-line, which was to maintain the proportion of the South in Parliament. “Fix the ratio. What is today, let it remain,” Reddy said while contending that the number of seats in the legislative assembly be increased more to strengthen representation closer to voters.TDP MP and parliamentary party leader Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu challenged the notion of making economic achievement a criterion for allocation of seats to states. If that were done in Telangana, he said, it would mean that the representation would be skewed in favour of richer Hyderabad and the rural areas would suffer.Despite their political disagreements, the debate highlighted the main concern in relation to delimitation in the South: how to increase representation while maintaining the relative political power of the South within Parliament.SESSION HIGHLIGHTSJebi Mather“The southern states are going to be punished because we implemented the schemes of those times perfectly. Now, we cannot be punished for that.”“How can we trust this government? A government which has misused every possible constitutional body as their puppet.”“South India is not asking for a privilege. We are asking for political voice to be equivalent to what we deserve.”Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar“Gerrymandering, etc. are convenient excuses and it all goes back to the old saying—a bad workman blames his tools.”“Centre-State is a negotiation. It isn't a demand that the State goes and puts. It's a negotiation, and we have to continue to negotiate with the Centre.”“Our federal structure—the cooperative federalism, as they say—is very much vibrant, and we will ensure that it is so in the years to come.”Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu“The number of seats will increase in Hyderabad city area and proportionate representation will increase, whereas the rural areas will suffer. Do you want that?”“We should not be misrepresenting the fact that when the Women's Reservation Bill was passed, it was clearly mentioned that once delimitation is done, women's reservation will kick in. In the Lok Sabha, except for two members, everyone voted for it.”“The TDP is not for any confrontation with the Centre, but at the same time, it is not in favour of foregoing the interests of Andhra Pradesh.”K.R. Suresh Reddy“There is a huge difference between content and intent—what they promised and what the bill envisaged in the House were totally different. That is where the trust factor kicks in, and we are the victims of delimitation.”“Instead of the voter choosing his leader, the leaders were choosing their voters.”“The soul of delimitation is in decentralisation.”Subscribe to India Today Magazine- Ends