The Congress on 1 April claimed that the Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is proposing to ‘bulldoze’ a bill in Parliament that seeks to increase the size of the Lok Sabha by 50 per cent.
The number of seats allocated to each state is also proposed to be increased by 50 per cent, and such a move would ‘disadvantage’ smaller states in the South, the Northeast and the West, the party said.
Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, said Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has already raised an alarm over the issue, and others may very well follow as this proposal becomes officially public.
“The Modi government is proposing to bulldoze a Bill to increase the size of the Lok Sabha by 50%. The number of seats allocated to each state is also proposed to be increased by 50%,” Ramesh claimed on X.
Extension in Budget Session?
There is no official word from the government on the bill yet. However, Ramesh’s concern seems to stem from recent reports suggesting that the Union government is exploring the possibility of delinking the Women’s Reservation Act, 2023 — which seeks to reserve one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies for women — from the impending Census and delimitation exercises.
The ongoing Budget Session won’t be adjourned sine die as scheduled on 2 April. Parliament is likely to reconvene in the third week of April, news agency ANI said, quoting sources. The key agenda may include amendments to the Nari Shakti Vandan Act and the introduction of the Delimitation Commission Bill, the agency said.
“The dates will be announced at the time of adjournment,” it added
Earlier reports had suggested that the government planned to bring two amendments bolls to ensure that the proposed women’s reservation law is implemented before the completion of the delimitation exercise for Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies.
What is the controversy about?
In September 2023, the new Parliament House was inaugurated with the passage of the women’s reservation bill — or Nari Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023– that amended the Constitution to provide for one-third reservation of women in the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas and also provided for one-third reservation for women in seats reserved for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes
In September 2023, President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the Nari Shakti Vandan Bill. The law is officially known as the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act.
The reservations were to become operational after the delimitation and census exercises were completed. The government, according to reports, has been considering amending the women quota law to implement it without the delimitation and census exercises.
‘Raising the Lok Sabha strength from 543 to 816’
The government is said to have suggested raising the Lok Sabha’s strength from the current 543 to 816, including 273 seats reserved for women, according to these reports. A reconfigured Lok Sabha would only come into force in the 2029 Lok Sabha polls, the reports said.
At a recent meeting with some Opposition parties, Union Home Minister Amit Shah reportedly suggested amending the Act and separately raising the total strength of the Lok Sabha, while maintaining the current proportions of seats allotted to each state. However, delimitation or redrawing of seat boundaries is expected to be pegged to the 2011 Census.
The argument that a 50 per cent increase in seats across the board is equitable is deceptive, Ramesh said, adding that the proportions may not change for now, but there are deeper implications that cannot be wished away.
“Any increase in the gap in the existing strengths of different states in the Lok Sabha will place South Indian states at a disadvantage,” Ramesh alleged.
“For instance, currently Uttar Pradesh has 80 seats and Tamil Nadu has 39. With the proposed Bill, UP’s strength will zoom to 120 while Tamil Nadu will crawl up to at best 59. Similarly, Kerala will increase from 20 Lok Sabha seats to 30 seats, while Bihar will move from 40 to 60 seats. Overall, the southern states will gain 66 seats while the northern states will gain 200 seats,” Ramesh argued.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unilaterally preparing a law that will disadvantage smaller states in the South, the Northeast, and the West, Ramesh claimed.
“The Chief Minister of Telangana has already raised an alarm. Others may very well follow as this proposal becomes officially public,” he added.
Ramesh had said the Modi government is also planning to increase the size of the Lok Sabha and the Vidhan Sabhas by 50 per cent, which also needs careful deliberation.
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