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Shashi Tharoor criticised Centre for linking women’s reservation to delimitation (Img: Internet)
New Delhi: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Friday sharply criticised the government’s proposed delimitation exercise, describing it as “political demonetisation” and alleging that it is being rushed without adequate consultation.
Speaking during a debate in the Lok Sabha, Tharoor said the move could have far-reaching political consequences and warned against implementing such a significant reform without broader consensus.
Tharoor argued that the delimitation process could disproportionately affect southern states such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala, which have recorded progress in population control.
He said states that have performed better on demographic indicators risk being penalised under the proposed framework. Calling it an “attack on the federal structure,” he stressed that representation should not disadvantage regions that have followed national policy goals effectively.
The Congress leader also raised concerns about the proposal to expand the Lok Sabha to around 850 seats. He cautioned that such a large House could become difficult to manage and impact legislative efficiency.
Tharoor further pointed out that there has been no parallel proposal to increase the strength of the Rajya Sabha. According to him, this could create an institutional imbalance in India’s bicameral parliamentary system.
While reiterating support for women’s reservation, Tharoor criticised the government for linking it to delimitation and other procedural steps. He described women’s representation as a “moral imperative” that should not be delayed by complex administrative processes.
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He questioned why the policy was being tied to future exercises such as delimitation and reliance on older census data, arguing that it risks delaying implementation unnecessarily.
Tharoor said the women’s reservation measure is ready to be implemented and should be passed independently. He warned that linking it with delimitation could effectively stall progress on increasing women’s representation in legislatures.
Reiterating the Congress party’s position, he said the party supports the reservation bill but wants the delimitation exercise to be put on hold until broader concerns are addressed through consultation.
