New Delhi, 27 August (H.S.): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking an all-party meeting on the proposals concerning delimitation. He said the issue is of immense importance to the country and should not be rushed or pushed through by force.

In his letter written on Thursday, Kharge said the Congress has maintained a clear position that the existing strength of the Lok Sabha, comprising 543 members, should remain unchanged for the next 25 years, the current state-wise representation should be retained, and one-third reservation for women should be implemented from the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.

Kharge said he had also written to the Prime Minister on July 16, urging that all political parties be given adequate time to study the delimitation proposals before they were introduced in any special session of Parliament. He said the request had to be reiterated after the Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister recently indicated in a television interview that a special session of Parliament could be convened. He also linked this development to the repeated delay in the prorogation of the Monsoon Session.

Kharge appealed to the Prime Minister to convene an all-party meeting to discuss delimitation and provide all political parties and state governments sufficient time to study the proposals. He said the government should ensure that the kind of haste seen in attempts to pass proposals on April 16 and 17 is not repeated.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar