Whether it is Lakshadweep or Uttar Pradesh, no state, especially those in the south, will suffer any loss if the proposed delimitation bill is implemented, Home Minister Amit Shah assured.
Shah, who on Thursday said a "completely false" narrative is being spread that the representation of southern states will go down in the Lok Sabha following the implementation of women's reservation and delimitation of constituencies, on Friday, clarified that the strength of southern states will only increase.
He promised an official amendment mentioning 50 per cent increase in Lok Sabha seats across states if the opposition agrees. Shah alleged that the alliance members are opposing women's reservation with ifs and buts.
"If the reason to oppose this bill is that there should be 50 per cent reservation, then halt the proceedings for an hour, and I will bring an official amendment to this bill, but first they (opposition) need to promise to pass the bill," Shah said.
"Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Keralam - the strength of these five states in the 543 parliamentary seats is currently 129, which is 23.76 per cent. After a 50 per cent increase, when we allocate the seats for these five states, it will rise from 129 to 195, which will represent 23.87 per cent in 816 seats. No one will be at a loss," the home minister guaranteed. He further asked MPs to rise above the ‘north-south’ and 'east-west' narrative, as all states and Union territories have equal rights in the Parliament.
He explained: "If we implement women's reservation based on 543 seats, then 13 seats will get reserved for women, and 26 will remain open in Tamil Nadu. If we implement women's reservation based on the 2011 census, then the number of parliamentary seats will reduce by six. But we are not doing so. We are increasing seats by 50 per cent for every state..."
Thrashing claims that the bill to amend the women's quota law is aimed at delaying caste enumeration during the census, he said the government has decided to hold a caste census along with the 2026 census to allay any fears.
Shah further said there is a misconception being spread that reservation will also be given to Muslim women. "I want to clarify that the Constitution does not allow reservation based on religion."