Centre Delays BC Quota Bills Of State, Says Revanth
Slams BJP for dual standards on Muslim quota
Hyderabad, July 23: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy came down heavily on the BJP-led Central government for delaying the approval of two crucial Bills passed by the Telangana Legislative Assembly to extend 42 per cent reservation for Backward Classes (BCs) in education, employment, and local bodies.
A delegation led by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, including ministers, MLAs, MLCs, and MPs from the Congress, left for Delhi on Wednesday to intensify pressure on the Centre to approve the BC quota Bills.
Addressing a press conference at his official residence in Delhi, Revanth Reddy accused the BJP of adopting dual standards on Muslim reservations and obstructing BC reservations in Telangana under the guise of opposing Muslim quotas.
Pointing to the implementation of Muslim reservations in BJP-ruled states like Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra, Revanth Reddy asked, "Why is the BJP objecting to Muslim reservations in Telangana when states where they are in power are doing the same?"
The Telangana government, he said, implemented reservations based on caste-based backwardness, not religion. He dared the BJP to first revoke Muslim reservations in their own states before criticising Telangana’s efforts.
He explained that reservations for Muslims in Telangana fall under the BC-E category and are based purely on caste-based backwardness, not religious affiliation. "If BJP leaders are so concerned about reservations for Muslims, they should start by abolishing them in their own states," he added.
The Chief Minister expressed anger over the statements made by Telangana BJP leaders, including BJP state president N. Ramchander Rao and Union ministers G. Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar. These BJP leaders suggested that the Telangana government could push through the BC Bills if Muslim reservations were removed from them.
Revanth Reddy clarified that there are no separate Muslim reservations in Telangana but rather caste-based reservations, and that the BC-E category includes several sub-castes among Muslims based on their socio-economic status.
The Telangana delegation is scheduled to meet top Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday to discuss the BC quota Bills and seek their support in Parliament. Revanth Reddy also mentioned that the Telangana Assembly had unanimously passed these Bills with support from the BJP, BRS, CPI, and AIMIM, but the Centre has yet to approve them.
Revanth Reddy said that the Telangana government is committed to holding local body elections with the 42 per cent BC reservation, with the High Court directing that elections be conducted by September-end and BC reservations finalised by July-end.
He said that Telangana has become a role model for other states in caste enumeration.
He pointed out that the caste-based survey, which collected data from over 3.55 crore people in the state, had established that BCs make up 56.4 per cent of the population, followed by SCs at 17.45 per cent and STs at 10.08 per cent.
Revanth Reddy said that nearly four per cent of the population in the state declared that they have 'no caste' during the caste census, which is a new phenomenon in Telangana. He also said that the caste census had been conducted in compliance with the Personal Data Protection Act and assured that the details would not be disclosed.
Revanth further asserted that the BC reservation issue would be a litmus test in the upcoming 2029 general elections. He reiterated that the Telangana government had succeeded in reversing the BJP's stance on several policies, including the repeal of farm laws, and would continue to fight for the rights of BCs.
The Chief Minister said that the state government will further disclose the details of the caste census in the upcoming session of the Legislative Assembly, expected in August.
He said the state government has constituted an expert committee headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice B. Sudarshan Reddy to analyse caste census data and finalise the Composite Backwardness Index (CBI) for over 240 sub-castes in Telangana, based on their backwardness across various parameters. The committee submitted its report three days ago, and this report will be tabled and discussed in the Assembly, Revanth Reddy said.
Revanth Reddy said the state government is considering to abolish the two-child policy that bars individuals with more than two children from contesting gram panchayat elections. This move comes nearly three decades after the policy was implemented in undivided Andhra Pradesh in 1994 for both urban and rural local body elections.
