Desk Correspondent , New Delhi – The Congress party has issued a sharp critique of the Union government's purported focus on increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha, asserting that addressing the systemic issues within "Panchayat Raj" system is far more urgent necessity for the nation. In a strongly worded statement, senior leadership argued that the current administration's push for delimitation and the expansion of parliamentary seats is a calculated maneuver designed primarily to ensure personal political survival rather than to enhance democratic representation. The opposition party contends that shifting the goalposts of electoral geography serves as a distraction from the fundamental breakdown of institutional autonomy and the erosion of federal principles that have characterised recent governance, urging a pivot toward structural reforms instead.

The party further elaborated that the obsession with increasing the number of Members of Parliament overlooks the critical need to empower local self-governance and protect the constitutional rights of diverse sates. According to Congress spokespersons, the proposed expansion could lead to a significant imbalance in regional representation, unfairly penalizing state that have successfully implemented population control measures. They emphasized that "Panchayat Raj" system—referring to the overarching framework of administrative and executive power—requires immediate transparency and accountability to prevent the concentration of authority in a few hands. By prioritizing seat counts over systemic integrity, the government is accused of undermining the very spirit of the Constitution to maintain a grip on power through numerical dominance in the lower house.

In the end, Congress demanded a national consensus on any changes to the legislative structure, insisting that the survival of India’s democracy depends on robust institutions rather than expanded benches. They warned that moving forward with delimitation without addressing the underlying grievances of various states would exacerbate sectional tensions and weaken the federal fabric. The party called for a comprehensive review of the electoral process and the restoration of judicial and administrative independence as the true priorities for a functioning republic. By framing the issue as a choice between "personal political survival" and the health of the democratic Raj, the Congress aims to galvanize public opinion against unilateral constitutional shifts that could fundamentally alter the country’s political landscape for decades to reach.