Hyderabad: Telangana BJP president N. Ramchander Rao on Tuesday accused the Congress of spreading false claims on delimitation and the women’s reservation law. He said the party lacked moral authority on Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s legacy and women’s rights.
Rao made the remarks after paying floral tributes on Ambedkar’s birth anniversary at the BJP state office and at statues in Lalpet, Anandbag X Road in Malkajgiri, and near the GHMC office at Tank Bund. He rejected Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s claim that delimitation would deepen imbalance between southern and northern states. Instead, he said the exercise would increase parliamentary seats proportionately across the country. Therefore, he asserted that no state would lose representation.
Describing the framework, Rao said the census and delimitation were distinct constitutional processes. However, he alleged that Congress leaders were conflating them to mislead the public. He pointed out that the delimitation freeze dates back to 1976 under Congress rule. Moreover, he added that the Lok Sabha strength of 543 seats still reflects the 1971 census despite population growth.
Looking ahead, Rao said the process would begin only after the next census cycle and could take effect for the 2029 general election. He argued that fears about southern states losing out were politically driven. In contrast, he maintained that such claims lacked constitutional basis. He also urged people not to be influenced by what he described as misinformation on delimitation and the Citizenship Amendment Act.
Expanding the attack, Rao said Congress hypocrisy was evident in how the party invoked the Constitution in public. At the same time, he alleged, it had undermined Ambedkar at key stages of his political career. He described Ambedkar as the chief architect of the Constitution and a lifelong advocate of social justice.
Congress hypocrisy claims extend to history and women’s rights
Rao alleged that Congress blocked Ambedkar’s political rise at multiple stages. He claimed the party prevented him from contesting in the Bombay Presidency. In addition, he said Congress opposed his entry into the Constituent Assembly. According to him, Ambedkar later entered the Assembly with support from outside the Congress fold.
Further, Rao claimed that Jawaharlal Nehru initially hesitated to accept Ambedkar as chairman of the Drafting Committee. He said letters from 1953 and 1961 reflected Nehru’s reservations about quotas in jobs. He also alleged that Congress defeated Ambedkar in two elections and did not award him the Bharat Ratna. Instead, he said, that recognition came under a non-Congress government.
Linking the past to the present, Rao said the Narendra Modi government had recognised Ambedkar’s legacy by developing five sites linked to his life as the Pancha Teerth. He said welfare measures were delivering benefits to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Meanwhile, he accused the Congress of using caste, religion and regional divisions for political gain.
Turning to women’s issues, Rao said Congress hypocrisy was visible in the debate on the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. He argued that the party could not credibly speak on women’s empowerment. According to him, it had failed to build structural protections for women while in power. He added that Indira Gandhi’s rise reflected dynastic politics rather than broader empowerment.
He cited the reversal of the Shah Bano judgment and delays in banning triple talaq as examples. Consequently, he said these reflected a weak record on protecting women’s rights. He also referred to internal disputes involving women leaders such as Simi Rose Bell John, Ankita Dutta and Priyanka Chaturvedi. In his view, these incidents indicated an unhealthy internal culture.
Rao said Rahul Gandhi’s public display of the Constitution was insufficient. Instead, he argued that leaders must reflect constitutional values in their actions. He said Congress hypocrisy could not be masked by symbolism. Finally, he urged voters to assess the party based on its record on Ambedkar, reservation and women’s rights, and asked people to reject what he described as politically driven misinformation.