It is one of the rare occasions when two principal opponents in Telangana are on the same side of the political spectrum. The ruling Congress party and the main opposition party, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), are vehemently opposing the delimitation process in its current form as envisaged by the NDA-led centre. The national party and the regional party have expressed concerns that delimitation will result in injustice to the state with a lower number of seats as compared to the northern belt.
The state cabinet which met recently has decided to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the matter and highlight their stand to the centre. Briefing the media after the meeting, revenue and Information Minister, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said, “The approach of the centre towards delimitation is evil. In their mind, they are treating north and south India differently. It will be a big loss to South India as delimitation can lead to loss of seats here."
"How much importance they are giving to south India is clearly reflecting in their actions. We have to debate this issue and fight centre on it. Everyone should benefit from delimitation including southern states. We are planning to hold an all-party meeting where the opinions and aspirations of Telangana people will take centre stage. After the meeting, we will convey with clarity what we expect from delimitation,” he said.
The Congress party is likely to officially announce the time and date of the meeting soon. The BRS will also receive an invitation to the meeting. BRS has extended support to Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin’s call to the centre to halt the delimitation exercise and continue with the existing number of seats. The working president of BRS, KT Rama Rao echoed Stalin’s opinion and felt that the centre was punishing the southern states for effective population control. He went a step further and demanded that delimitation take place as per the state’s economy contributions to the centre and not the population.
BRS is still contemplating how to make itself stand out and not be a part of Congress's agenda. The BRS is expected to make its stand clear once it receives the invitation to the all-party meeting.
