New Delhi, Apr 17: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has warned the Centre against proceeding hastily with the proposed delimitation exercise, likening it to the fallout of the 2016 demonetisation decision and urging the government to reconsider its approach.

Speaking amid an intensifying debate over the redrawing of parliamentary and Assembly constituencies, Tharoor said the move risks undermining the spirit of cooperative federalism if carried out without wider consultation and consensus.

“What happens to cooperative federalism? You have proposed delimitation with the same haste that you did demonetisation. Unfortunately, we know what damage it did. Delimitation could turn out to be political demonetisation. Don’t do it,” he said.

The Thiruvananthapuram MP also raised concerns over linking the implementation of women’s reservation to the delimitation process. Referring to the government’s push for “nari shakti,” he argued that the measure has been tied to conditions that complicate its rollout.

“The Prime Minister says the government has delivered nari shakti — a gift of justice — but it has been wrapped in barbed wire by tethering its implementation to the expansion of Parliament based on the 2011 Census and a delimitation exercise,” Tharoor said.

Questioning the rationale, he added: “Why must we entangle a moral imperative with a demographic minefield?”

The remarks come as the Union government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, faces growing scrutiny from opposition leaders over the timing, scope and potential political implications of the proposed delimitation exercise.