Delimitation Bill unfair to South Indian states, says Karnataka Minister
Karnataka Minister P.M. Narendra Swamy says the Union Government's delimitation bill based on the 2011 census is adverse to South Indian states, including Karnataka.
Karnataka's Minister for Agriculture, P.M. Narendra Swamy, has said that the delimitation bill prepared by the Union Government on the basis of the 2011 census works against the interests of South Indian states, Karnataka included.
He was speaking in Bengaluru while inaugurating a national seminar titled 'Delimitation 2027 – India: Democracy, Federalism, Social Justice and the Future of Karnataka'. The event was organised by the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Study Centre at Dr. Manmohan Singh Bengaluru City University.
In his address, the Minister criticised the Union Government, alleging that it was seeking unquestionable political dominance by distorting the federal system and the character of the Constitution.
Delivering the keynote address, Prof. Purushothama Bilimale, Chairman of the Kannada Development Authority, said the party in power at the Centre was attempting to misuse the constitutionally mandated delimitation exercise for political advantage.
He cautioned that a unilateral decision was being pushed through without sufficient scope for public debate, and that this would harm the southern states that have implemented population control measures effectively.
The seminar brought together the delimitation debate and questions of federalism, social justice and the future of Karnataka.