Telangana CM Revanth Reddy joins southern leaders opposing delimitation, accuses Centre of discrimination

Reddy said the South cannot remain a mute spectator if the Centre tries to reward the "beemaru" (sick) states of North India at the expense of southern states.

Published Feb 28, 2025 | 11:50 PMUpdated Feb 28, 2025 | 11:50 PM

Telangana CM Revanth Reddy joins southern leaders opposing delimitation, accuses Centre of discrimination

Synopsis: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy criticised the BJP-led Union government’s planned delimitation exercise, joining fellow leaders from southern states. Also voicing support for state language protection, Reddy accused Union Minister G Kishan Reddy of blocking infrastructure projects for Telangana while similar projects were approved for other states.

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy joined a slew of southern leaders, including Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao, in demanding the Union government’s planned upcoming delimitation exercise should be done in proportion to the existing seats for all states.

Similar to fellow Congress leader and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramiah, Reddy took exception to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s assertions that there would be no decrease in seats in South India.

“Has anyone noticed how smart Amit Shah is? He is saying that there would be no decrease. But that is not the point. We want the number of seats increased in proportion to the existing number of seats,” he told media persons at Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad, on Friday, 28 February.

Amit Shah’s comments followed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s call earlier this week for regional parties in his state to unite against the delimitation threat.

Revanth Reddy said the South cannot remain a mute spectator if the Centre tries to reward the “beemaru” (sick) states of North India at the expense of southern states. He made the same arguments that other southern leaders have previously done.

“Why is the Centre punishing the South for following the directive to implement family planning? The population rate has stabilised in the South because we followed the Centre’s directive. But the North did not, and as a result, there is a population explosion. Now you want to benefit them because the number of people there is more than in the South,” he asked.

Also Read: Delimitation: Siddaramaiah slams Amit Shah’s assurance as “not trustworthy”

‘Incalculable harm to the south’

Revanth Reddy argued that the kind of delimitation exercise the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union Government is planning will do incalculable harm to the South.

“The BJP wants to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats in the North while either reducing or leaving unchanged the number of seats in the South and thus remain in power forever. If the Centre pursues this policy of discrimination, there would be a revolt in the South. The Centre should watch out,” he warned.

The chief minister also said that he supported the movement that each state should protect its own language, in light of escalating tensions between the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu and the Centre over the three-language policy and the National Education Policy (NEP).

“I am fully endorsing it. That is the reason why I had brought in a Government Order making Telugu compulsory in Telangana,” he said, though Telugu has been in force since 2018 when the previous BRS government issued an order.

The memo which Revanth Reddy was referring, issued on 25 February, was intended to replace ‘Singidi Telugu’ (standard Telugu) with ‘Vennala Telugu’ (simplified Telugu) in all classes in all schools.

Also Read: Delimitation debate: What is the actual impact of the upcoming exercise on South India representation?

Funding obstructions

Meanwhile, Reddy also lashed out at Union government over funding to states. He criticised minister G Kishan Reddy for playing the role of a “Saindhava” (obstructionist) in preventing projects and funds from reaching the state from the Centre.

“When Tamil Nadu could get Metro, why not Telangana? Kishan Reddy had obstructed it as it would enhance the image of the Congress government in the state,” he said.

“Why shouldn’t Telangana have the Musi Rejuvenation Project when they (BJP) could have Ganga, Yamuna, and Sabarmati cleansing projects? It is Kishan Reddy who is preventing the inclusion of Musi, Metro, and Regional Ring Road projects in the agenda of the central cabinet.”

Reddy emphasised that he was demanding projects that are due to the state as a matter of right. “Kishan Reddy is speaking as though Narendra Modi is sending wads of currency notes in trains to Hyderabad. I am not asking for the personal properties of either Narendra Modi or Kishan Reddy,” he said.

He also raised the issue of reservations for Muslims, categorising them as BCs. “In BJP-ruled states, BC Muslims are given reservations. Why are you not having them scrapped, and why are you insisting that BC Muslims should not have reservations in Telangana?” he asked, addressing Kishan Reddy.

Furthermore, he asserted that he was determined to expose the “dark nexus” between the BJP and the BRS. “We never indulged in illegal acts like the Delhi liquor scam,” he said, pointing out that while he was seeking what is due to the state as a matter of right, he was no subordinate to anyone.

(Edited by Dese Gowda)

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