Kerala Chief Minister on Wednesday came out against the Union government’s proposed delimitation exercise, describing it as a “direct assault on the federal structure of India.”
In a statement, Vijayan said the Bill proposed to be introduced in a special session of Parliament, based on the 2011 Census, would significantly affect the rights of states and undermine the principle of equal justice. He added that it is worrying that the Centre is moving forward on such a crucial issue without building consensus with the states.
He said there is widespread concern that population-based seat allocation is being used to convert the electoral dominance of northern states into long-term political consolidation.
The Chief Minister argued that states like Kerala, which have successfully implemented national family planning and population control policies, are being “penalised” for their progress.
“States like Kerala will be directly affected. States that have acted responsibly by advancing in population control, education, healthcare, and women’s empowerment are being penalised. Reduced representation and a lower share cannot be considered a just federal arrangement,” Vijayan said.
He asserted that a population-based delimitation would unfairly reduce the political weight of southern states in favour of northern states that did not control population growth as effectively.
Vijayan also claimed that invoking women’s representation is merely a façade for narrow political interests.
“Ensuring political representation for women is essential. However, denying fairness and equality among states under that pretext amounts to nothing less than undermining democracy,” he said.
Stating that democracy is not merely about numerical majority, Vijayan said it must be founded on justice and balanced representation.
“To uphold federalism, the Delimitation Bill must guarantee fair and equal representation for all states. Otherwise, it is simply a ploy to cement political dominance, and the Centre must immediately withdraw from this undemocratic move,” he said.
“In a federal India, equal respect and reasonable representation must be ensured for all states. Otherwise, the delimitation Bill will be seen as a shortcut to legitimise political dominance. The Central government must withdraw from this anti-democratic move,” he added.