On Sunday, the Congress launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the proposal to increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha, arguing that it would primarily benefit larger and more populous states and is essentially a "Weapon of Mass Distraction (WMD)".
The opposition party also alleged that the Prime Minister is "misleading" the country's people and making statements intended to deceive.
In a post on X, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "The PM is resorting to his usual tactics of making misleading statements intended to deceive. He claims that South Indian states will not be negatively affected if the number of seats in the Lok Sabha is increased by 50% and the number of seats for each state in the Lok Sabha is also increased by 50%."
"This is misleading the people of the country, which the PM is uniquely qualified to do," Ramesh added.
For example, he pointed out that the difference in seats between Uttar Pradesh and Kerala in the Lok Sabha is currently 60, and Modi's proposal would increase this to 90.
Similarly, he noted that the difference between Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu would increase from 41 to at least 61.
"Mr. Modi is pushing through a proposal that will primarily benefit larger and more populous states because their existing numerical advantage will be further magnified," the Congress leader stated.
He argued that not only South India but also states like Punjab, Haryana, and those in the North East will also see a decline in their relative influence.
"The nation is facing a serious economic and foreign policy crisis. The Prime Minister is only focused on pushing through an increase in the number of seats in the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas without meaningful consultation and widespread public debate. This is essentially a Weapon of Mass Distraction (WMD)," Ramesh said.
Congress MP Manish Tewari, who tagged Ramesh's post, stated that Jairam Ramesh is "absolutely prescient" and that PM Modi's framing is "completely erroneous."
"The framing must refer to how much Southern India, Western India, North Eastern India, and North Western India will lose in terms of political power compared to the Hindi heartland states of India in terms of the gap in the number of parliamentary seats," Tewari said.
The Chandigarh MP noted that states and Union Territories like Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Delhi together have only 40 seats in the Lok Sabha, compared to Uttar Pradesh's 80, and said, "This gap will only further increase."
"Whatever @PMOIndia and @BJP4India are proposing is still unclear and will further skew the Federal Balance to the detriment of non-Hindi heartland states," Tewari said in his post.
These remarks came a day after Prime Minister Modi said that the Budget Session of Parliament would be extended by three days so that the 2023 law providing 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies can be implemented from 2029.
On Thursday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, while speaking in Rajya Sabha, said the House would meet again soon to consider a key legislation.
"We have certain bills and important issues, and we have shared this with the opposition as well. We will be having a very important bill in the next two-three weeks," he said.
It later emerged that the Budget Session of Parliament would reconvene on April 16 after a brief recess to pass bills to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 816 so that the women's reservation law can be implemented as early as possible.
Addressing an NDA election rally in Kerala, Modi said the government will ensure, during the April 16-18 Parliament session, that no state, whether it is Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, or Telangana, will see a reduction in Lok Sabha seats.
The Prime Minister said that the NDA government has provided 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and legislative assemblies through a law in 2023.
"Do you know why it will reconvene? The law we have passed for 33% reservation for women, so that its benefits can begin from the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, and 33% of our sisters can sit in Parliament. For this, further legal provisions are needed," Modi said.
The Women's Reservation Act was passed by Parliament in 2023. The provision to provide 33% reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies was brought by amending the Constitution, but it will come into effect after the completion of the delimitation exercise.
If the proposal to implement the law even before the delimitation exercise actually materializes, another amendment to the Constitution will be required. The government is expected to amend the law to this effect in the three-day sitting of the Parliament.
The Prime Minister urged all parties that this is an issue related to women's empowerment, so they should, with an open mind and without any political calculations, fully support it and become partners in winning the trust of the country's mothers and sisters.
He said that the government had invited members of Congress for discussions and hoped that they would come and agree with it.
The Congress on Friday had alleged that the government has called a "special session" of Parliament for passing bills related to amending the women's quota law and delimitation to "grab political mileage" in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu polls, which, it claimed, is a "gross violation" of the model code of conduct.
Asserting that the government's push for a rushed delimitation exercise would have "dangerous consequences," Ramesh had said, "We do not want any disturbance in the present differentials and relative strength."
The Congress had cautioned against any haste in amending the Constitution regarding delimitation of parliamentary and assembly constituencies, saying it is a sensitive matter and the government must tread carefully, otherwise the exercise might put several states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala at a significant disadvantage.
Ramesh had said the government kept "sleeping" for 30 months after the passage of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, and now wants to take "double credit" in the election season.
While the government is keen on passing the bills, including amending the Women's Reservation Act 2023, officially called Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, or Narishakti Vandan Adhiniyam, the opposition has accused the Centre of trying to hurriedly move for passing amendments to take political advantage in the state elections.