K'taka leadership tussle: Parameshwara confident Cong high command will resolve issue in week
Bengaluru, Nov 27 (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Thursday expressed confidence that the Congress high command should be able to resolve the ongoing power tussle in the state for the Chief Minister's post in a week's time.
A contender himself for the CM's post, in the event of a change of guard, he spoke highly of both Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar, and said the high command's word is final on such matters.
Shivakumar certainly has a claim for the CM post and there is nothing wrong with it, he said. In the event of a power transition, it should be smooth and the incumbent Siddaramaiah has to be taken into confidence, he told PTI Videos.
With himself in the race, the senior Congress leader said that if given an opportunity, with his experience and administrative skills, he will definitely do well and serve the people of Karnataka, and keep up the ideologies of the Congress party.
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"The high command is aware of everything happening in Bengaluru. Kharge ji (AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge) knows everything. Maybe in a week's time they should be able to resolve this. It is not impossible. If not a big exercise at least some exercise will happen. It will be resolved," Parameshwara added.
Reiterating that he is not aware of any "power sharing" arrangement, he said, "honestly when the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) assembled (after the 2023 assembly polls) there was no mention of power sharing....we elected Siddaramaiah as CM, there was no mention of a time frame. We thought it would go for five years."
"But, of late, claims about power sharing between Siddaramaiah and Shivkumar have come out . If that is true, and if there is an agreement made at the high command level, definitely everybody will agree. But that has to be decided by the high command. We have no role. We may make a statement but that is not relevant, it is only the high command that will make the decision, based on the situation," he said.
Any change of guard has to be smooth if at all it happens.
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"I'm sure the high command will ensure it. They've seen many such incidents in Delhi. Siddaramaiah's contribution is very important, not just as a backward class leader, but as a leader in the state, he has a lot of following. He has a commitment. The high command will notice it. He is a tall leader and he has to be taken into confidence."
Everybody will accept if the decision and transition is smooth, he further said.
"In Congress somebody may make a statement outside, but when a decision is taken by high command, everybody will accept it. Many times, we expect something, something else will happen. There will be murmurs for a few days, but that will ultimately die down."
Regarding his recent statement hinting that he too was in the race to the top post, the Home Minister said, when the media asked him, he casually said that he is always in the contention.
"But whatever the High command decides is final. I will not lobby, I'm not that kind. I also believe and keep the faith in high command.... If they take a decision that Parameshwara should be given an opportunity it's for them. If they decide someone else or Shivkumar should be made, it is up up to them. I cannot say give it to me," he said.
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Amid reports that he will be propped up as CM candidate by a section of the party, in case of change of guard, he said nothing has been spoken on this.
Parameshwara, replying to a question, said that given an opportunity, Shivakumar has a claim for the CM post and there is nothing wrong in it.
"Shivkumar is close to me, we are good friends. I have seen him since 1989. He has good qualities. As PCC president he expected to become CM (after 2023 polls) as it is the convention. Naturally, now also given the opportunity, he would definitely want to become CM. Given an opportunity, he has a claim. He has every right to claim," he said.
Noting that Siddaramaiah as a person hasn't changed, Parameshwara replying to a question said, with the passage of time, age might have mellowed him down, but his ideological commitment has not changed.
"He is always for the poorer sections, AHINDA (Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes, and Dalits)....that ideological
commitment has not changed. He has not compromised. Between Siddaramaiah of 2013 to 2018 and Siddaramaih now, you may see the changes in body language, but his ideological commitment is intact. I don't think he has compromised anything with that," he said.
Siddaramaiah has always listened to high command. "He has never been rebellious to high command. Even now he has said whatever the high command decides he will abide by that. Something as a leader of his stature saying this is good."
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Govt comes out with set of FAQs on women's reservation bill
New Delhi (PTI): The government on Sunday came out with a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) related to the reservation for women in legislatures following the defeat of a Constitution Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha that seeks to provide 33 per cent quota for women in the Lower House and state assemblies.
The FAQs came amid the Opposition's claim that in the name of women quota, the government was trying to carry out delimitation on its own will based on 2011 census.
Here are the FAQs:-
1. Which Bills were introduced by the central government in the Lok Sabha on April 16, 2026?
A:- On April 16, the central government introduced three key Bills in the Lok Sabha: The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, The Delimitation Bill, 2026 and The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
2. Why were these three Bills brought at this point in time?
A:- The 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam', commonly known as the Women Reservation Act, provides that reservation for women will be implemented based on delimitation after the Census conducted post-2026.
If the government had waited for the Census and subsequent delimitation, women would not have been able to benefit from 33 per cent reservation even in the 2029 general elections as the Census and subsequent delimitation period takes time.
Therefore, to ensure timely benefits to half the population, it was considered necessary to delink implementation of the Act from this condition.
3. What would have been the benefits if these Bills had been passed?
A:- If passed and approved, these Bills would have enabled women to receive 33 per cent reservation in the Lok Sabha as early as the 2029 general elections.
4. Why was delimitation linked with the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, and why was there a proposal to increase seats?
A:- Delimitation means finalising the boundary of a constituency. It is essential for implementing women's reservation. The limit on seats in the Lok Sabha was set at 550 in 1976. In 1971, the population of India was 54 crore. Today it is 140 crore. Therefore, it is important to increase seats to 850 in the Lok Sabha. This would enable fair representation of people in Parliament.
5. Was there any attempt to modify the Delimitation Commission Act for political advantage? Would ongoing state elections be affected?
A:- No changes were proposed to the Delimitation Commission Act. The existing legal framework remains intact, and any recommendations of the commission would require parliamentary approval and Presidential assent.
Ongoing elections, including those in states like Tamil Nadu or West Bengal, would not be affected, as elections up to 2029 will be conducted under the current system.
6. What was the rationale behind increasing Lok Sabha seats to 850?
A:- The proposal was based on a proportional expansion approach. A uniform 50 per cent increase in seats would maintain the proportion for all states and UTs. Applying this principle to the current 543 seats would lead to approximately 815 seats. Therefore, the upper limit on seats was increased from current cap of 550 seats in Lok Sabha to 850 seats.
7. Would southern or smaller states have been adversely affected by the new delimitation proposal?
A:- No. All states would see uniform 50 per cent increase in seats. Southern states would not face any reduction in representation; rather, their overall share would remain stable. For example, Tamil Nadu's seats would increase proportionally, ensuring no disadvantage. The southern states currently have 23.76 per cent seats in Lok Sabha. This would have become 23.87 per cent after the passage of the Bills.
Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka would have increased to 42 from present 28; in Andhra Pradesh, the seats would have been 38 from the present 25; in Telangana, the total seats would have been 26 from the present 17; in Tamil Nadu, it would have been 59 seats from the present 39 and in Keralam, it would have been 30 from the present 20 seats.
Total seats in the five southern states would have been increased to 195 from the present 129.
This is 543 seats to 816 seats - 50 per cent increase model.
8. Would states that have controlled population growth face any disadvantage?
A:- No, as the increase in seats was proposed uniformly across states, their proportional representation would remain unchanged or slightly improve.
9. Would the representation of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes be affected?
A:- No, the process of delimitation ensures proportional reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. With an expanded House, the number of reserved seats would increase significantly, thereby strengthening their representation.
10. Was this Constitutional Amendment Bill introduced to delay caste census?
A:- No, the government has already started a time-bound programme for caste census. The process includes detailed enumeration, and caste-related data will be recorded during the population count phase.
11. Why was there no separate quota for Muslim women within the reservation framework?
A:- The Constitution of India does not provide for reservation based on religion. Reservation policies are based on social and economic backwardness, as laid out in the Constitution.
12. Why was women's reservation not implemented in the 2024 general elections itself?
A:- Implementing reservation requires delimitation of seats. Delimitation is an extensive consultative process. It takes about two years to complete delimitation. Therefore, these Bills (including Delimitation Bill) were brought in Parliament for implementing women's reservation.
13. Why was the Women's Reservation Bill introduced in 2023 if it was not to be implemented immediately?
A:- The Bill was introduced and passed in 2023 to establish the legal and constitutional framework for women's reservation. Its unanimous passage reflected broad political support at the time, enabling the enactment of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.
14. Why was a separate Union Territories Bill required?
A:- Legislative Assemblies in Union Territories such as Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Puducherry are governed by separate legal provisions. Therefore, specific amendments were required to implement women's reservation in these regions, necessitating a separate Bill.
