Similarly, Andhra Pradesh’s seats would drop from 42 to 34, Kerala’s from 20 to 12, and Tamil Nadu’s from 39 to 31.”The number of Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh would increase from 80 to 91, Bihar’s from 40 to 50, and Madhya Pradesh’s from 29 to 33. If this is not injustice, what is?” Siddaramaiah wondered.Terming it “unacceptable”, he said that if southern states, including Karnataka, are to be treated fairly in the delimitation process, either the 1971 Census must be used as the basis or the number of Lok Sabha seats should be increased proportionally, without relying solely on population figures.”However, looking at the extraordinary enthusiasm shown by Narendra Modi-led government for delimitation, it appears that the real intent is to punish the people of the southern states for resisting his party’s dominance,” the CM alleged.Siddaramaiah highlighted that during the Karnataka Assembly election campaign, BJP President J P Nadda had warned that if the people of Karnataka did not support the BJP, the state would not receive Narendra Modi’s blessings.”Every action taken by the Union Government against our state now proves this statement to be true,” he stated.Accusing the Centre of being “unfair” to Karnataka, he said, “It is becoming increasingly evident that every decision taken by the Union Governmentwhether it is the unfair distribution of tax revenues, injustice in GST and disaster relief funds, the imposition of a burdensome education policy, or amendments to UGC regulationsis intended to punish Karnataka.” The Chief Minister alleged that to further silence the voices of southern states in Parliament and prevent them from raising their concerns at the national level, the BJP-led government at the Centre has now taken up the “new weapon of delimitation.” Taking a dig at state BJP leaders, he claimed, “Despite witnessing these repeated injustices, 17 BJP MPs and 2 JD(S) MPs elected from Karnataka to the Lok Sabha have remained silent like slaves. Meanwhile, BJP leaders in the state are too busy engaging in petty internal conflicts and mudslinging.” Noting the situation, the Chief Minister urged Kannadigas to set aside differences of caste, religion, and political ideology and unite with a single voice against the “injustice” being “inflicted upon the state” by the union government.”Discussions are already underway with neighbouring southern states to wage a comprehensive fight against these injustices. In the coming days, a coordinated movement will be launched in collaboration with all affected states,” he stated.
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