BC Bandh Disrupts Normal Life
TGSRTC buses remained confined to depots after political leaders and unions appealed to the staff to participate in the shutdown.
Hyderabad: Normal life came to a standstill on Saturday as the 'Telangana Bandh' called by Backward Classes (BC) associations demanding 42 per cent reservation in local bodies for the community evoked a near-total response and was largely peaceful. The shutdown, supported by all major political parties, paralysed public transport, shut down shops and educational institutions, and left major roads deserted.
The bandh, called by the BC joint action committee (BC JAC), was backed by the Congress, BRS and the BJP besides Left parties and social organisations, with ministers and legislators from all parties joining protest rallies and sit-ins in Hyderabad and across the state. Protestors held demonstrations, dharnas, and human chains, urging both the Centre and the state government to provide 42 per cent quota for the BC community.
TGSRTC buses remained confined to depots after political leaders and unions appealed to the staff to participate in the shutdown. This left commuters, particularly those travelling for Diwali, stranded at bus stands. Commercial establishments and private offices remained closed, while only emergency and essential services operated.
In Hyderabad, dharnas were reported at RTC crossroads, Tank Bund, and MGBS, where JAC leaders, ministers, and activists blocked depots and raised slogans. Ministers Ponnam Prabhakar, Vakiti Srihari, Danasari Anasuya Seethakka, and Konda Surekha, along with MPs and MLCs, participated in protests at multiple locations.
From the opposition, BRS leaders Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Gangula Kamalakar, and Srinivas Goud joined demonstrations, while BJP MP Etala Rajender participated in a protest at the Jubilee bus station. Agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao led protests in Sathupalli, expressing solidarity with BC groups.
In some areas, tension flared briefly when protestors vandalised a petrol pump that remained open in Barkatpura and damaged nearby shops. Police intervened and dispersed the crowd.
BC JAC chairman R. Krishnaiah described the bandh as a “massive success” and warned that the agitation would intensify if the Centre and the state failed to accord statutory backing to the 42 per cent quota in local bodies, education,and employment. He said the BC community was demanding its legitimate share and that the delay in implementation was unacceptable.
The protest followed the Telangana High Court’s interim stay on the state government’s order providing 42 per cent reservation for BCs in local bodies, a stay that the Supreme Court refused to vacate. The Congress government, which passed the Bill after a caste survey and Assembly approval, has said the proposal has been pending with the Governor and President since March 30.
BC community leaders urged the Centre to approve the Bill and include it under the Ninth Schedule for constitutional protection, reiterating that the fight for reservations would continue until justice is achieved.