Jairam Ramesh accuses PM Modi of ‘misleading’ nation over Lok Sabha expansion plan

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of attempting to “mislead” the public over claims related to a proposed increase in the strength of the Lok Sabha.

In a strongly worded statement, Ramesh alleged that the Prime Minister was “up to his usual tricks of making misleading statements that are meant to deceive,” referring to Modi’s assertion that a 50 per cent increase in Lok Sabha seats would not disadvantage southern states.

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“He says South Indian states will not be hurt in any way if the strength of the Lok Sabha is increased by 50 per cent and the number of seats of each state is also increased by 50 per cent,” Ramesh said. “This is hoodwinking the people of the country in which the PM has unique expertise.”

Ramesh argued that while the proposal may appear mathematically uniform, its political consequences would disproportionately favour larger and more populous states. Illustrating his point, he said the current gap of 60 seats between Uttar Pradesh and Kerala would widen to 90 under the proposed expansion. Similarly, the difference between Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu would rise from 41 seats to at least 61.

“Such examples can be multiplied,” he said, warning that the move would amplify existing imbalances in representation. “Mr. Modi is bulldozing a proposal that will work more to the benefit of larger and populous states since their already large numbers will get further magnified.”

The Congress leader further cautioned that the impact would extend beyond southern India. “It is not just South India but states like Punjab and Haryana and those in the Northeast that will also see their relative influence decline,” he noted.

The debate over delimitation and expansion of legislative bodies has long been politically sensitive, given India’s demographic variations. Southern states have historically argued that population-based seat redistribution could penalise them for effectively implementing population control measures, while northern states with higher population growth could gain greater representation.

Ramesh also questioned the timing of the proposal, linking it to broader national concerns. “The nation is facing a serious economic and foreign policy crisis. All that the PM is bothered about is pushing through an increase in the strength of the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas without meaningful consultations and widespread public debate,” he said.

Describing the move in stark terms, he concluded, “This is nothing but a Weapon of Mass Distraction (WMD).”

The issue is expected to intensify political debate in the coming weeks as discussions around delimitation and electoral representation gather momentum.