PM Modi a 'misleader', engaged in 'deliberate deceit' over delimitation: Congress
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New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Wednesday said the bills circulated by the government for the Parliament's special sitting contradict all the "so-called assurances" given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and alleged that he has engaged in "deliberate deceit" with the nation over the question of delimitation.
A day after the government circulated among MPs bills related to the women's quota law and delimitation, the opposition party said the southern states will lose their strength in the Lok Sabha, and so will smaller states in northwest India and states in the east.
In a post on X, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "The prime minister is a so-called leader whose only distinguishing feature is his unmatched ability to be a misleader."
"He is a habitual liar who cannot speak the truth, even by mistake. He has engaged in deliberate deceit with the nation over the question of delimitation," Ramesh said.
The bills that his government has circulated for the special session of the Parliament contradict all the so-called assurances that he has been giving, the Congress leader said.
The southern states will lose their strength in the Lok Sabha, and so will smaller states in northwest India and states in the east, he argued.
"What happened to the uniform proportionate increase of strength in the Lok Sabha for all states - that was promised by the PM and some of his colleagues? That has not happened," Ramesh said.
The PM's assurances cannot be trusted and he is unable to rise beyond his crude power-grabbing impulses and be a statesman, even on an issue as sensitive as delimitation, the Congress general secretary said.
"The bills were uploaded on Dr. Ambedkar's birth anniversary. The delimitation provisions are an insult to his legacy and a reflection of his warning - delivered in the Constituent Assembly on November 25, 1949 - about the dangers of a government that isn't guided by constitutional morality," Ramesh said.
Battle lines were drawn between the government and the opposition on Tuesday over the women's quota and delimitation bills to be taken up during the special Parliament sitting this week, with the Congress questioning the intent behind the move and the BJP accusing it of failing women in the past.
Two prominent non-BJP chief ministers from the south -- DMK's M K Stalin (Tamil Nadu) and Congress' A Revanth Reddy (Telangana) -- sharpened their attack on the Centre over the issue of delimitation, with the Tamil Nadu CM warning of "massive agitation" if the state was harmed and his Telangana counterpart flagging "injustice".
Reddy wrote an open letter to Modi, urging him to convene an all-party meeting to deliberate on the proposed delimitation, alleging that an increase in Lok Sabha seats based on pro rata, without considering economic contribution, would lead to a distortion in the country's federal balance.
The pro rata model will not be acceptable to people and governments of southern states, and any attempt to proceed without addressing their concerns will inevitably lead to widespread opposition and resistance, as it touches upon the fundamental principle of fair representation, Reddy said.
Therefore, a collective solution that is both just and sustainable must be found, he had said.
Reddy also wrote to his counterparts from Andhra Pradesh (Chandrababu Naidu), Karnataka (Siddaramaiah), Kerala (Pinarayi Vijayan), Puducherry (N Rangasamy) and Tamil Nadu, calling for collective engagement among southern states to ensure that their concerns are articulated effectively at the national level.
In a video message, Stalin warned of massive agitations that would bring Tamil Nadu to a standstill and "protests with full force" if anything was done to harm the state or if the political power of northern states was disproportionately increased in delimitation.
Lok Sabha seats will be increased to up to 850 from the current 543 to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise to be carried out based on the last published census.
According to the draft Constitution amendment bill, which will be introduced in Parliament, seats would also be increased in state and Union territory assemblies to accommodate 33 per cent reservation for women.
As the government circulated among MPs bills related to the women's quota law and delimitation, the Congress said that when the intent behind a bill is mischievous, the damage to parliamentary democracy is enormous.
In a post on X, Ramesh had said, "When the intent behind a Bill is mischievous, and the content of it is devious, the extent of damage to parliamentary democracy is enormous."
The ruling NDA also closed ranks and rallied behind the prime minister, pitching the move for early implementation of the 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam' as a "historic step".
The Budget Session of Parliament has been extended, and a special three-day sitting of the House has been convened, starting Thursday, during which amendments to the 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam', more commonly known as the Women Reservation Act, will be brought for its implementation in 2029.
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Rupee gains 20 paise to 93.15 against US dollar in early trade
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Mumbai (PTI): The rupee recovered 20 paise to 93.15 against the US dollar in early trade on Wednesday, backed by lower levels of crude oil prices and a weak American currency amid hopes of resuming US-Iran peace talks.
Investor sentiment turned positive after US President Donald Trump said that a second round of talks with Iran could be held "over the next two days".
The latest remarks, which came days after the two sides failed to reach a peaceful resolution to the conflict in West Asia, led to a sharp decline in crude oil prices, boosting the risk appetite for market participants, forex analysts said.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 93.19 against the US dollar and gained further, trading at 93.15 against the greenback in early deals, up 20 paise from its previous closing level.
On Monday, the rupee weakened by 52 paise to settle at 93.35 against the US dollar. The forex market was closed on Tuesday on account of Baba Saheb Ambedkar Jayanti.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was marginally higher by 0.04 per cent at 97.95.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading 0.57 per cent up at USD 95.33 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the stock markets witnessed a steep surge in the morning trade. The 30-share Sensex jumped 1162.04 points or 1.51 per cent to 78,009.61, while the Nifty climbed 348.65 points or 1.46 per cent to 24,191.30.
Foreign Institutional Investors were net sellers on Monday and offloaded equities worth Rs 1,983.18 crore, according to exchange data.
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