PM's push for increasing seats of LS, assemblies nothing but 'Weapon of Mass Distraction': Cong

The Congress on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the proposal to increase Lok Sabha seats saying he is bulldozing the move that will work more to the benefit of larger and populous states and is nothing but a Weapon of Mass Distraction WMDThe opposition party also alleged that the prime minister is hoodwinking the people of the country and is making misleading statements that are meant to deceiveIn a post on X Congress general secretary incharge communications Jairam Ramesh said The PM is upto his usual tricks of making misleading statements that are meant to deceive He says South Indian states will not be hurt in any way if the strength of the Lok Sabha is increased by 50 pc and the number of seats of each state in the Lok Sabha is also increased by 50pcThis is hoodwinking the people of the country in which the PM has unique expertise Ramesh saidFor example the difference between UPs and Keralas seats in the Lok Sabha is now 60 and Modis proposal will increase it to 90 he saidSimilarly the difference between UP and Tamil Nadu will increase from 41 to at least 61 Ramesh said and added that such examples can be multipliedMr Modi is bulldozing a proposal that will work more to the benefit of larger and populous states since their already large numbers will get further magnified the Congress leader saidIt is not just South India but states like Punjab and Haryana and those in the North East that will also see their relative influence decline he arguedThe nation is facing a serious economic and foreign policy crisis All that the PM is bothered about is pushing through an increase in the strength of the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas without meaningful consultations and widespread public debate This is nothing but a Weapon of Mass Distraction WMD Ramesh saidHis remarks come a day after Prime Minister Modi said that the Budget session of Parliament has been extended for three days so that the law enacted in 2023 for providing 33 per cent reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies can be implemented from 2029On Thursday Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju while speaking in Rajya Sabha had said the House will meet again soon to consider a key legislationWe have certain bills and important issues and we have shared this with the opposition also We are going to have a very important bill in the next twothree weeks he saidIt later emerged that the Budget session of Parliament will 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 womens reservation law can be implemented at the earliestAddressing an NDA election rally in Kerala Modi said the government will ensure during the April 1618 Parliament sitting a legal stamp that no state whether it is Kerala Tamil Nadu Karnataka Andhra Pradesh Goa or Telangana will see a reduction in Lok Sabha seatsThe prime minister said that the NDA government has given 33 per cent reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and legislative assemblies through a law in 2023Do you know why it will reconvene The law we have passed for 33 per cent reservation for women so that its benefits can begin from the 2029 Lok Sabha elections and 33 per cent of our sisters can sit in Parliament For this further legal provisions are needed Modi saidThe Womens Reservation Act was passed by Parliament in 2023 The provision to provide 33 per cent 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 exerciseIf the proposal to implement the law even before the delimitation exercise actually materialises another amendment to the Constitution will be required The government is expected to amend the law to this effect in the threeday sitting of the ParliamentThe prime minister urged all parties that this is an issue related to womens 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 countrys mothers and sistersHe said that the government had invited members of Congress for discussions and hoped that they would come and agree with itThe Congress on Friday had alleged that the government has called a special session of Parliament for passing bills related to amending the womens 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 conductAsserting that the governments 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 strengthThe 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 disadvantageRamesh 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 seasonWhile the government is keen on passing the bills including amending the Womens 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 electionsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever