There will be no change in ratio: PM Modi

Shah rejects charge that Southern states will lose strength

- Smriti Kak Ramachandran

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday assured lawmakers that amendments to expedite 33% women’s reservation by 2029 - which includes the provision of increasing the overall seats in the Lok Sabha by 50% and carrying out delimitation on the basis of the latest available census, effectively the 2011 one — will not discriminate against or do injustice to anyone.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, the PM sought to allay concerns of the opposition parties that the bills will result in the Southern states losing their relative political power in Parliament and that the bills are drawn with an eye on electoral benefits for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. He also cautioned that parties who opposed women’s reservation in the past have had to pay a heavy price and for a long time.

“Delimitation that happened earlier, there will be no change in that anupat (ratio)..." he said, assuring that the proportional representation of states in Parliament will remain the same and the increase in the number of seats will not change the relative strengths.

“If you need a guarantee, I give you a guarantee; if you need a promise, I make a promise... because if the intention is clear, there is no need for wordplay,” the PM added.