Chennai, Apr 17:
Left parties in Puducherry on Thursday strongly condemned the Centre’s proposed delimitation exercise, terming it politically motivated and detrimental to the interests of southern states.
CPI State Committee member and former legislator N. R. Kalainathan said the Union government was acting in haste without consulting states and political parties. He warned that the move could reduce parliamentary representation of southern states and weaken their voice, adding that such a major constitutional change should be based on consensus.
CPM State Secretary Ramachandran echoed similar concerns, alleging that under the guise of implementing 33 per cent reservation for women, the Centre was pushing a plan that could disadvantage southern states. He claimed the total number of constituencies may rise from 543 to 850, with a disproportionate increase favouring Hindi-speaking regions.
Taking a dig at N. Rangasamy, founder of the AINRC, Ramachandran accused him of backing Prime Minister Narendra Modi on all decisions, alleging that the Centre was ignoring the concerns of Puducherry’s people.
The Left parties called for wider consultation and a democratic approach before proceeding with any delimitation changes, warning that unilateral decisions could harm the country’s federal structure.