'No injustice will be done': PM Modi quells delimitation fears amid Parliament uproar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured on Thursday that the delimitation process, a contentious issue between the ruling NDA and Opposition parties, will be conducted without bias. "I give a guarantee that no injustice will be done to any state, from East to West, North to South," PM Modi stated in Lok Sabha.

PM Modi also urged Opposition MPs not to view the women's quota bill through a political lens, warning that those who had previously opposed women's reservations had not been forgiven by the women of the country.

"I have come to appeal to you that do not see this from a political lens, this is a decision in the national interest," the Prime Minister said, adding that the 33 percent reservation is a woman's right, not a "gift."

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Modi's statement on delimitation and women's reservation came hours after a special Parliament session commenced earlier in the day to discuss the three bills introduced in Lok Sabha. These include the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, aimed at amending the women's quota law, alongside the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill and the Delimitation Bill, which seek to implement the proposed women's quota law in the Union Territories of Puducherry, Delhi, and Jammu and Kashmir.

The session began with a heated 40-minute debate between the NDA and the Opposition, after which the Opposition demanded a division of votes before the introduction of the Constitutional (131st Amendment) Bill. Ultimately, the bill was introduced with 251 members supporting it and 185 MPs voting against it.

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Under the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, the Centre proposes to increase the Lok Sabha's strength from 543 to 850 seats, with 815 seats allocated for states and 35 for Union Territories. This sets the stage for the Delimitation Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill to implement the women's quota law. However, southern states, all governed by Opposition parties, have strongly opposed it, arguing that the delimitation exercise would disproportionately benefit the Hindi heartland, a BJP stronghold.

Delimitation involves redrawing constituencies to accurately reflect population changes, ensuring each region and its issues are properly represented by leaders. Southern Chief Ministers MK Stalin of Tamil Nadu, Pinarayi Vijayan of Kerala, Revanth Reddy of Telangana, and Siddaramaiah of Karnataka have criticised the process, claiming it disadvantages states that have successfully implemented population control measures. They, along with their INDIA bloc members, argue that delimitation is a political tool for the BJP to secure long-term electoral advantage.

Earlier in the day, Stalin initiated a statewide protest by burning a copy of the delimitation bill and raising black flags.