Bhubaneswar, July 15: Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram on Wednesday criticised senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram over his remarks on the 131st Constitution Amendment Bill, asserting that the proposed delimitation exercise in 2026 is a constitutional mandate and not a new initiative by the BJP-led government.

Oram said the Delimitation Act had already provided for the exercise to be carried out in 2026 and questioned why the Congress was opposing a constitutionally mandated process. He stressed that the Delimitation Commission comprises representatives from various political parties, making it an independent and inclusive body.

Accusing the Congress of working against national and public interests, Oram said the party's opposition to the bill was politically motivated and claimed it would have to face the consequences of its stand.

Rejecting allegations that the BJP was engineering splits in regional parties to ensure the passage of the amendment bill, Oram accused the Congress of practising "double standards." He referred to developments in Tamil Nadu and said the BJP had not been responsible for splits in any regional party, adding that parties losing their own leaders should not blame the BJP.

The Union Minister also dismissed Opposition allegations of misuse of constitutional and investigative agencies, including the Election Commission, Enforcement Directorate and CBI. He claimed such misuse had occurred during previous Congress governments, while maintaining that these institutions function independently under the present government.

Expressing confidence ahead of the upcoming Parliament session, Oram said the government remained committed to ensuring productive proceedings despite expected disruptions.

Earlier in the day, Congress leader P. Chidambaram had warned that carrying out delimitation under the existing formula would be unfair to states that had successfully controlled population growth in line with the National Population Policy.