Call all-party meet, give time to study delimitation: Mallikarjun Kharge to PM Modi

New Delhi: After parliamentary affairs minister Kiran Rijiju publicly spoke about the likelihood of an extended sitting of the monsoon session of Parliament to take up the Constitution Amendment Bill on delimitation, leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to convene an all-party meeting even as he reiterated the party's opposition to increasing the Lok Sabha's strength for another 25 years.

Referring to Rijiju's remarks in a TV interview, at a time when the monsoon session has not yet been prorogued, and requesting the PM not to "bulldoze" through the legislation, Kharge, in his letter, said: "Before you go ahead as indicated by the parliamentary affairs minister, I wish to reiterate my earlier request to you to: Convene an all-party meeting to discuss whatever delimitation proposals you have in mind. Give all political parties and state governments adequate time to study such proposals."

He once again said the Congress is for maintaining the existing strength of the Lok Sabha at 543, with the status quo of respective states' seats, for another 25 years, and for introducing one-third reservation for women from the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.