CM Revanth: Action plan ready to counter Centre’s delimitation move

New Delhi: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said that an action plan is being prepared to counter the Union Government’s ‘conspiracy’ against the Southern States in the delimitation of the constituencies.

“This is not delimitation of constituencies, but an attempt to limit the Southern States and reduce the importance of the South,” the chief minister said.

Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin invited CM Revanth Reddy to attend a meeting to be held in Chennai on March 22 to discuss an action plan to fight against the Union Government on the delimitation of the constituencies. A DMK delegation by the State Municipal Administration minister, KN Nehru, met with CM Revanth Reddy and handed over a letter written by the Tamil Nadu CM in Delhi on Thursday.

Opposition States invited to JAC against delimitation

In the letter, Tamil Nadu CM Stalin stated that there are provisions that the delimitation of constituencies should not be carried out until the national census is done after 2026.

The Central Government brought this process to the fore even before the census, Stalin said and added that an all-party meeting had already been organised on delimitation.

Stalin said he had already invited Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, West Bengal, Odisha and Punjab to join the Joint Action Committee (JAC). The Tamil Nadu CM suggested in the letter that a representative from the Telangana Congress Party be appointed in the JAC to take up future action.

‘BJP wants to take revenge on Southern States’

Speaking to newsmen after the meeting, CM Revanth Reddy warned that they would not tolerate any attempt to reduce the importance of the Southern States.

“We (Southern States) have served the country a lot. The BJP does not have much representation from the Southern States, and hence, the ruling national party wants to take revenge on these States after its defeat in the Southern States,” he said.

The CM said, “We will thwart the conspiracies hatched by the BJP-led Central Government against the Southern States. The Congress already decided in principle to fight against the Central government.”

He said the Congress party high command has decided to organise an all-party meeting to discuss the delimitation of constituencies in Telangana State as well and instructed deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and former minister K Jana Reddy to invite leaders of all parties to the all-party meeting.

Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, who is also the BJP state president, will also be invited. The BJP leader should participate in the meeting and bring the views expressed in the meeting to the attention of the Union Cabinet. Since Union minister Kishan Reddy hailed from Telangana, he should safeguard the state's interests.

“We will invite the Union minister and the latter should answer,” he said appealing to everyone to work hard to safeguard the rights of the Southern States, regardless of political parties and clarified that a plan of action will be formulated on the steps to be taken to overcome the losses associated with the delimitation of the constituencies in Chennai meeting.