One of the BJP's dangerous plans is to тАЬgerrymanderтАЭ all Lok Sabha seats to its advantage for the 2029 elections
The proposed Bills remove all Constitutional safeguards on delimitation, giving full power to the Delimitation Commission which the govt itself will appoint and direct.
We have seen how BJP does this - it hijacked delimitation in Assam and Jammu and Kashmir, where it split up anti-BJP regions and communities for electoral advantage. As a result,
- some seats have 25 lakh voters, while some have only 8 lakh
- some seats have 12 Vidhan Sabha segments, while some have only 6
- тБаsome seats are broken into pieces without connection, sometimes divided by rivers or mountains
Having captured the Election Commission, PM Modi is confident that he can capture the Delimitation Commission too. The Congress will not allow this to happen.
Delimitation should be based on a transparent policy framework, developed after wide consultations with a consensus. Indians of all communities and States should feel confident that they will be represented and their voices will be heard.
This is the only way forward to protect and strengthen our democracy.
It is clear that the pressure we put on the government for Caste Census has worked.
But we donтАЩt intend to stop here:
тАвтБа тБаWe will ensure they conduct a comprehensive and consultative census - a peopleтАЩs census, not a bureaucratic census
тАвтБа тБаWe will continue to press for the removal of the arbitrary 50% cap on reservations
тАвтБа тБаWe will make sure they implement a central law for SC/ST Sub-plan and guarantee budget allocations
тАв We will ensure Article 15(5) of the Constitution which promises reservation in private education is fully enacted
This is the will of the people of India and the Modi government has no option but to follow it.