Reaffirm the federal pact – Hindustan Times

A meeting of 35 political parties in Tamil Nadu, convened by CM MK Stalin and attended by all parties save the BJP and its allies, has put forth a set of guidelines on the contentious issue of delimitation of parliamentary constituencies. The meeting demanded among other things, a 30-year status quo on the number of Lok Sabha seats with the 1971 consensus as the basis for delimitation. Stalin has announced that he will seek support from other southern states for the proposals. The five southern states of Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the UT of Puducherry together elect 130 members to the Lok Sabha. Various estimations indicate that post-delimitation, the proportional representation of these states could reduce in an expanded Parliament. This fear of being marginalised politically, and thereby losing clout in financial bargains as well as shaping policies at the Centre has influenced Tamil Nadu and others to up the ante on delimitation. These fears are legitimate and need to be assuaged.

The stand-off on delimitation has multiple layers. Not all of them are related to the question of political representation, but they feed into the concern that the Centre seeks to impose itself on the states at the risk of upsetting the federal balance. For instance, the polemical stance of Tamil Nadu over the National Education Policy and the three-language formula, unfounded as it may be, is not merely the hangover of the state’s political legacy, which privileges the Tamil linguistic identity over other markers of citizenship; it has also been sharpened by the Centre’s inflexibility in nuancing policies to absorb regional concerns and sensitivities. Similarly, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh have spoken about reversing trends in population growth against the backdrop of an ageing population and increasing migration. Amidst all this, overreaching governors have muddied the waters, even inviting censure from the Supreme Court. And at a time when welfarism wins elections, the Centre has encroached into state subjects with branded welfare schemes.

The Centre has been quick to dispel fears of loss of seats with ministers issuing statements in public forums. It could take a step further and call an all-party meeting to build consensus on the delimitation process. The principle of one citizen, one vote, one value is central to representative democracy, which means delimitation cannot be deferred indefinitely or be based on old data. A conversation reaffirming faith in the federal pact could help rebuild trust among the Centre, the states and the Opposition, and ease the work of the executive.