Punjab CM Vows to Fight Against Unjust Delimitation

Synopsis

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has pledged to resist the BJP-led Union government's unjust delimitation efforts, which aim to diminish opposition representation. He claims the move is undemocratic and intends to weaken democracy by reducing seats in non-BJP strongholds.

Key Takeaways

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann opposes delimitation.
BJP's actions viewed as undemocratic.
Delimitation may reduce seats in non-BJP areas.
Concern over seat increases in BJP strongholds.
Mann vows to defend Punjab's representation.

Chennai, March 22 (NationPress) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann declared on Saturday that his state will strongly resist the “unfair, faulty, and undemocratic delimitation” imposed by the BJP-led Union government, which aims to “muzzle the voice of the opposition parties”.

“This disgraceful action by the BJP to diminish the seats in regions where they struggle to win is undemocratic, and we will not permit the saffron party to achieve its sinister objectives to undermine democracy,” stated the Chief Minister during a conference hosted by his Tamil Nadu counterpart, M.K. Stalin.

Chief Minister Mann remarked that this arbitrary initiative by the Union government primarily targets the elimination of Opposition parties by decreasing the representation in areas where the BJP cannot secure victories. He added that, in contrast, the BJP is actively seeking to boost the number of seats in the Hindi belt where they gain the majority of seats.

“It is ironic that in the name of population density, seats are being reduced in South Indian regions,” the Chief Minister noted. He elaborated that southern states are facing penalties for diligently implementing population control initiatives. Mann predicted that the BJP might expand the number of seats in Uttar Pradesh from 80 to over 140 following the delimitation.

He expressed concern that the plan is to bifurcate or trifurcate seats that are strongholds for the saffron party, thus creating more winning constituencies. For instance, he pointed out that the Lok Sabha seat he previously represented was Sangrur, which included three districts: Sangrur, Barnala, and Malerkotla. If this seat were monopolized by the BJP, they would likely trifurcate it into separate seats for Sangrur, Barnala, and Malerkotla according to their current strategy.

Mann asserted that this tactic aims to increase the Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850 or more to solidify their dominance.

The Chief Minister criticized the BJP for wanting to eliminate regions where they are weak while boosting seats where they are strong. He deemed this approach “intolerable, unwarranted, and undesirable,” vowing to oppose it vigorously.

He accused the BJP of attempting to humiliate Punjab, a state that has made significant sacrifices during the national freedom struggle, through this delimitation process. He mentioned that Punjab currently holds 13 Lok Sabha seats, equating to a 2.39 percent share in the democratic framework. However, he pointed out that the BJP aims to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats in Punjab to 18, but this would reduce the state's share to 2.11 percent.