Tiruchirappalli (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 15 (ANI): DMK MP Arun Nehru on Wednesday said the Centre's move for delimitation is an exercise to increase representation of 'two or three' states in the Parliament, adding that southern states are being penalised for managing population and contributing to the economy.

Speaking to ANI, Arun Nehru said, 'Delimitation in the current format is very detrimental to the southern states, primarily in terms of proportional representation. We are asking the government to handle the women's reservation bill and delimitation separately. We are for delimitation because we want the governance to reach the very common man.'

'The entire exercise right now is geared towards increasing only in the two or three states that they want to increase and then penalising the rest of the states,' he added.

Questioning the delay in the implementation of Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, Nehru said NDA has treated parliamentary procedure as pure politics. 'What were they doing for the last 30 months?'

Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the Union Government must engage all states in a transparent and consultative process, and ensure that fairness, federal balance, and consensus guide this critical decision.

Referring to Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's letter, Karnataka CM said, 'You are right in highlighting the larger implications of the proposed delimitation approach and the concerns it raises for southern states. We wholeheartedly support the Women's Reservation Bill - it is a long-overdue reform that must be implemented immediately within the existing framework, without being made contingent on delimitation. Any exercise that reshapes political representation must be undertaken with utmost care. The Union Government must engage all states in a transparent and consultative process, and ensure that fairness, federal balance, and consensus guide this critical decision.'

The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, which provides for 33 per cent reservation for women legislators, is linked to the delimitation process in the Lok Sabha. The government is planning to implement the women's reservation ahead of the 2029 General Elections by bringing in an amendment to the 2023 Act and a constitutional amendment to delink the delimitation process from the 2027 census.

According to sources, the government has proposed to increase the number of seats in the House to 850, with 815 seats proposed for the States and the remaining 35 for the Union Territories. The Lok Sabha has 543 seats at present. (ANI)