Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka today said that conducting constituency delimitation solely on the basis of the 2011 Census could jeopardise the very existence of the southern States.
Speaking as the chief guest at the bicentenary celebrations of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule held at Ravindra Bharathi, Vikramarka said that if delimitation was carried out only on the basis of the 2011 population data, southern States might lose their political significance as the government at the Centre would be formed without adequate representation from these States.
The Deputy CM also alleged that the Centre had reduced the share of tax revenues allocated to the southern States as part of a strategy to weaken them.
He said that the southern States were leading the way in driving social transformation, and were collectively exerting pressure on the Centre for equitable policies so that they would not be penalised for their success.
He also said that ignoring caste census data in delimitation would harm the weaker sections across the country, and stressed the need for a collective struggle to safeguard their rights.
He added said that an equal and just society could only be built through education and collective effort, and urged people to seize every opportunity to bring about meaningful social change and uphold the ideals of Jyotirao Phule.
filed in:Telangana, Bhatti Vikramarka, Delimitation, Census, Centre, Social Justice, Backward Classes