Hyderabad: A significant meeting on Census, Delimitation, and Threat to South India was held at the Somajiguda Press Club.
Organized by Dravida Joint Action Committee (D-JAC), the event saw prominent participation from scholars, legal experts, and social leaders, including Professor Dr. Gali Vinod Kumar, Chairman of D-JAC, Professor K. Nageshwar, former MLC, Mohammed Shakeel, Advocate and Telangana President of Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), and representatives of Dalit and Christian organizations. The event also marked the inauguration of the Dravida Media Network Channel.
Key Highlights:
- Social Justice for All:
Prof. K. Nageshwar emphasized the importance of ensuring social justice for every citizen, transcending caste, creed, and religion. - Southern States’ Representation:
Dr. Gali Vinod Kumar highlighted the disparity in parliamentary representation for Southern states despite their contributions to national development. He demanded the formation of a Southern Development Council and reiterated the need to make Hyderabad the Second Capital of India, a vision proposed by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in 1955. - Supreme Court Benches for the South:
Advocate Mohammed Shakeel raised concerns about the judicial accessibility for Southern states and advocated for the establishment of Supreme Court Benches in the region to ensure speedy justice. - Census and Delimitation Concerns:
Speakers expressed apprehensions over the delayed census, which has implications for the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies. The postponement of the 2021 census due to the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the process to 2025. Concerns were raised about the likely increase in constituencies in Northern states due to higher population growth, potentially affecting the Southern states’ representation.
Political Reactions:
Chief Ministers of Southern states have responded to the looming delimitation issues. Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu urged citizens to have more children, while Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin reiterated the foresight of his predecessors in addressing population-related challenges.
The meeting underscored the need for equitable development and representation for Southern states and highlighted the importance of addressing these pressing issues in national policy discussions.