Congress lawmaker Shashi Tharoor on Friday cautioned that the proposed delimitation exercise could turn out to be “political demonetisation” and lead to a “tyranny of demographic majority,” warning that it may upset the federal balance and marginalise smaller states.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha during a debate on bills linked to women’s reservation and the setting up of a delimitation commission, Tharoor also criticised the government for tying women’s representation to the process, saying it is effectively “holding aspirations of Indian women hostage.”
Tharoor said that delimitation raises three major considerations: the balance between small and large states, states that have “diligently implemented national goals of population control and invested in inclusive human development” and those that have not, and states that contribute largely to the economy and those which are net recipients of central funds.
Tharoor argued that delimitation could reward higher population growth rather than governance outcomes, distort representation between states, and weaken India’s federal structure if not carefully debated. “In future delimitations, states that have failed to curb population growth would be rewarded with greater political weight. We must ask if this is the message we wish to send: that governance excellence leads to political irrelevance,” he said.
He added that the exercise would further marginalise states that provide resources to sustain the country and have distinct cultural identities, and make citizens feel like “bystanders in their own country.”
Warning that delimitation could “tear the fabric of federalism” in the country, Tharoor urged that it be discussed in detail and not rushed through.
Tharoor called Union home minister Amit Shah’s guarantee that southern states would see a 50% increase in the number of seats a “precarious political assurance and not a legislative certainty.” “Since this formula is not codified as an immutable Constitutional or legislative safeguard, it could be easily discarded or altered by a simple Parliamentary majority, offering no guarantee that it will survive beyond the short term,” he said.
He also expressed concerns about the swelling of seats in the Lok Sabha, adding that it would make the House “ungovernable” and weaken the powers of the Rajya Sabha.
Tharoor suggested that India could take inspiration from compromises adopted by international Parliaments — such as the Connecticut Compromise in the United States and the principle of degressive proportionality in the European Union — to ensure proportionate representation of states.
Speaking of the women’s reservation bill, Tharoor said, “The Prime Minister says the government has bought nari shakti, a gift of justice, but he wrapped it in barbed wire… Why must we entangle a moral imperative with a demographic minefield?” He added that the women’s representation law should be implemented in the next general elections based on the present strength of the Lok Sabha.