Former MLC KS Lakshman Rao and defending champion of the UMESH Chandra PVG, who attended a meeting of defining in Guntur on Wednesday.
The constitutional debate forum (CDF) on Wednesday organized a key meeting in the guntur on the “definition-sub-perspective”, where legal experts and political personalities emphasized the urgent need to initiate a long delayed process of defining. The event was presented by a former member of the Legislative Council (MLC) KS Lakshman Rao and advocate of the High Court Umesh Chandra PVG as key speakers.
The job that deals with the assembly, the defending champion Umesh Chandra stressed that the definition of the exercise – ordered by the Constitution and a delay after more than five decades – must be done without further delay. He stressed that the current representation in parliament continues to rely on the data on the population of the 1971 census, despite the exponential demographic changes throughout the country.
“The definition is Sine Qua Non to strengthen the federal structure and ensure fair representation,” said Umesh Chandra. “After 1971, most states witnessed significant population growth and the representation update based on the census 2026 will improve their voice in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha,” he added.
He acknowledged concerns about the southern and northeastern states, along with the Punjab, which carried out measures to control the population in accordance with national mandates and now fear marginalization if the definition is based only on the size of the population. However, he called on these states to present their case before defining the commissions – an autonomous statutory body – rather than this process completely.
“Fears are legitimate, but the solution lies in engagement, not an obstacle,” he said. He pointed out that Articles 82 and 170 institutions include the phrase “if possible”, offering space for negotiating and incorporating wider parameters, such as fiscal contributions and geographical factors into the defined framework.
The lawyer also claimed that in the era of coalition governments in the center, the definition is essential for the political authorization of states and ensuring just fiscal decentralization. He noted that any necessary constitutional change resulting from the process would require a special majority in both houses of parliament – to provide another guarantee for state interests.
Published – May 21, 2025 20:44
