Will long-delayed census be used for allocation of seats in the Lok Sabha? asks Congress

Jairam Ramesh. File Pic

The Congress on Monday asked whether the long-delayed census would be used for the allocation of seats in the Lok Sabha and said the success of South Indian states in family planning should not end up reducing their political representation in Parliament, reported news agency PTI.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the South Indian states should not be penalised for their success in family planning and suitable formulae should be worked out to ensure that this does not happen, reported PTI.

He said South Indian states were pioneers in family planning. The first to reach replacement levels of fertility was Kerala in 1988, followed by Tamil Nadu in 1993, Andhra Pradesh in 2001 and Karnataka in 2005, he pointed out, reported PTI.

However, there have been concerns voiced for quite some time now that these successes could end up reducing the political representation of these states in Parliament, Ramesh said.

"That is why in 2001 the Vajpayee Government amended the Constitution (Article 82) to make the readjustments in the Lok Sabha dependent on the publication of the first census taken after the year 2026," he said, reported PTI.

Normally, the first census after 2026 would have meant the census of 2031, he said. But the entire decennial census schedule has been disrupted and even the census scheduled for 2021 has not been conducted, he noted.

"We now keep hearing that the long-delayed census will start soon. Will this be used for the allocation of seats in the Lok Sabha? There can be no doubt that success should not be penalised," Ramesh said, reported PTI.

Suitable formulae can be worked out to ensure that this does not happen, he added.

Despicable act of targeted violence won't deter India from building infra projects in J-K: Congress

The Congress on Monday condemned the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Ganderbal and said this "inhumane and despicable act" of targeted violence will not deter India from building key infrastructure projects in Jammu and Kashmir.

A doctor and six labourers were killed when terrorists struck a tunnel-construction site on the Srinagar-Leh national highway in Jammu and Kashmir's Ganderbal district on Sunday, officials said, reported PTI.

The unidentified terrorists carried out the attack when the labourers and other staff working on the tunnel project at Gund in Ganderbal had returned to their camp late in the evening, the officials said, reported PTI.

In a post on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, "We strongly condemn the cowardly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Ganderbal where several construction workers and a doctor have been killed."

"This inhumane and despicable act of targeted violence shall not deter India from building key infrastructure projects in Jammu and Kashmir. As a nation, we are together in our fight against terrorism," Kharge said.

"Our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. We wish the injured a speedy recovery," he added.

(With inputs from PTI)