Shashi Tharoor warns South may feel "Disenfranchised" post-Delimitation: Annamalai says North deserves more representation as per Census numbers

San Francisco [USA], May 11 : A sharp debate over delimitation and political representation unfolded at the Stanford India Conference in San Francisco, with Congress MP Shashi Tharoor cautioning that southern states could feel "disenfranchised" if parliamentary seats are redistributed solely based on population growth, while BJP leader K Annamalai argued that northern states "naturally deserve" a larger share of MPs under the upcoming census-linked exercise.

The exchange of remarks was held at the roundtable on 'India, That is Bharat: Growth Governance and Identity' at Stanford India Conference.

Tharoor said that due to this 'North-South' gap, someone at different intervals would want to pass a law saying that Hindi be a national language, which the Tamils, naturally, will oppose.

"We have a situation in which, undoubtedly, the northern states, whose population has grown by leaps and bounds since, each MP represents a larger number of people than a southern MP... the southern states will feel disenfranchised because on many issues, an absolute majority, and quite conceivably before too long a two-thirds majority, will belong to the states in the north who will then be able to impose their view on... Every year, some chap will stand up and want to pass a law saying that Hindi should be the national language, and the Tamils will immediately get up and scream," he said.

The Congress MP even suggested that mega-states like Uttar Pradesh be broken up, saying that there is no sense in having a state with 280 million citizens.

"Does it make sense to have a state like UP with 280 million people? Should we not seriously empower a States Reorganisation Commission? When Mayawati was Chief Minister of UP, she passed a resolution demanding that UP be broken up into four states," Shashi Tharoor said.

Replying to this, BJP leader Annamalai said that the only time people see their MPs is on a ribbon-cutting ceremony or in newspapers, asserting that India needs a solution.

"In India, I see my MP only in the newspaper... The only time an MP does a ribbon-cutting, we all see it in the newspaper. We can keep speculating options, we can keep giving grand bargains, but India needs a solution," he said.

He claimed that if we go by the 2011 census, Tamil Nadu would get 50 seats, but in the current one, it is getting 59.

"Census numbers will come. This is one thing where North Indian states might naturally deserve a larger number of MPs... I don't understand why Congress opposed it (delimitation bill). This is an opportunity for all states to come to one common point and agree... if we go by the 2011 census, Tamil Nadu will get 50 seats. In the new model, we are getting 59; we are getting nine more extra," Annamalai said.

Annamalai further emphasised that if states keep getting stuck in 'I am losing' or 'I am gaining', there will be no solution to the problem.

"So, this is a problem where every state will rightfully believe 'I am losing' or 'I am gaining.' When the Central Government has proposed a concept where let us arrive at a solution where nobody is losing, nobody is gaining50 years it has kept us from nownow we have to just push it further. And now again you start a debate, again states like Tamil Nadu, which rightfully... after the 1965 agitation that happened, it tore apart the state. Again we go for it, I don't think we'll find a solution," he said.

In between this, Shashi Tharoor vouched for the Women's Reservation Bill, calling on the Centre to pass it immediately without linking it to the Delimitation Bill.

"But the Women's Reservation Bill... you can vote for it today! For 2026... today! You can vote for it immediately. Don't link it to delimitation. No! Have one-third reservation for women in today's Parliamentwe'll all vote for it!" he said.

On April 17, in the division that took place on the Constitution Amendment Bill, 298 members voted in favour and 230 against. With the Constitution Amendment Bill defeated, the government later said it did not want to pursue the Delimitation Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, which were taken up together for discussion.

The Bills aimed to increase the strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 to 816, with 33 per cent reservation for women. The delimitation was to be carried out based on the 2011 census.

Opposition parties expressed support for women's reservation but were against the Delimitation Bill. They had called upon the government to implement the women's reservation in the existing strength of the Lok Sabha.

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