India’s Decades-Long Political Truce Is Over

India’s five-decade-long political compromise between an overpopulated, impoverished north and more successful, faster-growing south has just imploded.

With little warning and no attempt at a national dialogue, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government introduced a controversial constitutional amendment bill to expand the size of parliament by roughly 50%. The administration said its goal was to implement a previously passed law that seeks to set aside a third of seats for women. The amendment would allow the change to kick in as early as the next election in 2029; meanwhile, a bulked-up Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament, would ensure male lawmakers keep their jobs.