Key Points
Congress hosts delimitation meeting with southern states' concerns
BRS and BJP conspicuously absent from crucial discussion
Revanth Reddy calls out BJP's alleged southern state conspiracy
DMK leads inter-state coordination against population-based redistricting
Leaders of Congress, Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) attended the meeting presided over by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka.
The meeting discussed the threat to Telangana and other south Indian states from population-based delimitation.
The Deputy Chief Minister called the meeting following a decision by the State Cabinet. The Congress government in the state believes that Telangana would lose out if the Centre carries out delimitation on the basis of population.
Senior Congress leader K. Jana Reddy told media after Monday's meeting that such meetings on delimitation would continue.
He said a delegation representing the state government will attend the meeting convened on the subject by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin in Chennai on March 22. The former minister said leaders from all parties would attend the Chennai meeting.
On the absence of BRS and BJP from all-party meeting held on Monday, Jana Reddy said that the absence of some parties is only temporary. He said all parties would attend the meetings in the future.
DMK has already invited Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and BRS leaders for March 22 meeting.
Revanth Reddy has called for thwarting what he calls the Centre's conspiracy against southern states. After a delegation of DMK leaders met him to hand over the invitation on March 13, Revanth Reddy termed delimitation an attempt to undermine South India.
The Chief Minister also stated that the BJP is seeking revenge on Southern states as they never allowed the saffron party to grow in the region.
He condemned the Union Government's alleged attempts to marginalize Southern states under the guise of delimitation of constituencies.
He stated that an action plan is being prepared to counter this conspiracy, asserting that this is not merely a routine delimitation process but a deliberate effort to reduce the political significance of South India.
