Centre aims to fragment Opposition through Delimitation Bill, says SP leader

On Sunday, Samajwadi Party stalwart S‑T Hasan took to the media with a familiar mix of anger and suspicion, claiming that New Delhi is trying to cleave the opposition apart by pushing a Delimitation Bill that, in his words, is “politically motivated”.

Hasan didn’t mince words. He suggested the ruling dispensation would grab any tool – “by hook or by crook” – to dilute the collective strength of rival parties, and that the timing of the bill was no accident. “The government will strive to achieve its objectives by splitting opposition votes through the delimitation process and will ultimately secure power by employing every tactic,” he told ANI.

While the delimitation issue dominated his remarks, Hasan quickly shifted to another hot‑button topic: the lingering probe into the alleged theft of donations meant for the Ayodhya Ram Temple. He pressed the question that’s on many opposition leaders’ lips – why is the Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) report still not before the Supreme Court?

“The SIT has already prepared its report, so why isn’t it being filed? This raises the suspicion that the report prepared by the SIT has been tampered with in some way,” Hasan argued, adding that the court’s directive seemed to be met with an inconvenient delay.

The backdrop to his concerns is a fresh SIT interim report that flagged roughly 70 suspect incidents captured on CCTV between late April and early June 2026. Footage, the report says, shows counting staff quietly stashing bundles of cash, while security lapses – no frisking at entry or exit points and lax control over personal belongings – apparently made the pilferage possible.

According to the same document, investigators recovered about ₹78.94 lakh from a few employees and another ₹2.25 lakh from a bathroom attached to the counting room on June 4 2026. However, the probe found no concrete evidence to back social‑media claims about missing silver bricks or other valuable offerings.

Eight individuals have already been arrested in connection with the case, but Hasan’s impatience reflects a broader frustration among opposition ranks: the feeling that procedural delays are being weaponised to mute scrutiny. Whether the Delimitation Bill will indeed redraw the electoral map to the ruling party’s advantage remains to be seen, but the political rhetoric is certainly heating up.