Hyderabad: In a significant political development, BRS Working President KT Rama Rao on Thursday said that it was deplorable that the Centre intends to reduce the parliamentary representation of states that effectively implemented family planning as per its own directives, calling the policy a ‘gross injustice’ to South India.

The BRS leader had a meeting with a delegation from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) at party office Telangana Bhavan on Thursday.

The visiting DMK team led by Tamil Nadu Municipal Administration Minister KN Nehru and Rajya Sabha MP NR Elango, invited the BRS for an all-party meeting scheduled in Chennai on March 22. The meeting, to be chaired by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, would focus on the contentious issue of delimitation and its potential to undermine the parliamentary representation of South Indian states.

KTR launched a scathing attack on the Centre’s approach to delimitation, which was set to be based on population figures from the latest census. He argued that this move would disproportionately penalise states like Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka, which have successfully adhered to the Government of India’s family planning initiatives over the decades.

Highlighting the broader implications, he warned that determining parliamentary seats solely on population metrics would dilute the political voice of South Indian states in the Lok Sabha. “This is not just a Telangana issue; it’s a South India issue. If we don’t stand united now, our representation and influence in national decision-making will be unjustly diminished,” he cautioned.

KTR revealed that BRS President K Chandrashekar Rao had instructed the party to actively participate in the Chennai meeting. “We will attend the March 22 meeting and ensure that Telangana’s concerns, along with BRS party’s firm stance, are vocally represented,” KTR confirmed.

The DMK delegation, in their remarks, said, “Our CM Stalin has been consistently raising his voice against the injustice posed by delimitation to South Indian states,” said KN Nehru. NR Elango added that the Chennai meeting aims to foster detailed deliberations among stakeholders and culminate in a unified action plan to counter the delimitation threat.

Expressing optimism about the collaboration, the delegation stated, “We are grateful to BRS for confirming their participation in this crucial meeting. Their support strengthens our collective resolve,” he said.