Haveri, April 23 (IANS) Former Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament Basavaraj Bommai has alleged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress have compromised Karnataka’s interests due to the political agenda of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on the issue of women’s reservation and constituency delimitation. ​

He urged the Chief Minister to consult experts, rethink the issue with clarity, and persuade his party leadership to support what he described as a transformative reform.​

Addressing a press conference in Haveri on Thursday, Bommai said Karnataka was among the first states to implement reservation for women. ​

He recalled that the policy was introduced during the tenure of former Chief Minister late Ramakrishna Hegde, along with decentralisation of power, and later reinforced in 1993 under H.D. Deve Gowda. ​

He added that the Union government led by P.V. Narasimha Rao brought in the 73rd Constitutional Amendment in 1994 to provide reservations for women in local bodies.​

Bommai criticised Siddaramaiah for claiming that the Congress was the first to introduce women’s reservation, asserting that non-Congress governments had taken the lead. ​

He also noted that B.R. Ambedkar had advocated for women’s representation in legislatures while introducing the Hindu Code Bill.​

On the issue of delimitation, Bommai said a constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority in Parliament and noted that such an opportunity existed during Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure. ​

He alleged that the reform was not pursued then, despite the majority.​

He said the Union government in 2023 introduced an amendment providing 33 per cent reservation for women and proposing a 50 per cent increase in Lok Sabha and Assembly seats, to be implemented after the next Census. However, he expressed concern that delays in the Census and calls for fresh delimitation based on future population figures could disadvantage southern states.​

Bommai argued that delimitation based on the 1971 Census, frozen during the Emergency, had already impacted southern states, and warned against repeating such outcomes. ​

He said Karnataka’s Lok Sabha seats could increase from 28 to 42 through a proportional approach without strictly relying on population figures.​

Accusing the Congress of yielding to Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam pressure, Bommai said the party had missed an opportunity to support reforms that could enhance representation and ensure fairness. ​

He urged the Chief Minister to reconsider the issue, build consensus, and support the amendment in the interest of both women’s representation and the state’s future.​

–IANS

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