CM Revanth, Ministers Step Up Efforts In Delhi To Secure 42% BC Quota, Consult Legal Experts
On Tuesday, Revanth Reddy, Bhatti, and other ministers will travel to Bihar to participate in AICC leader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra,’ against the BJP’s attempts at “vote theft.”
Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, who left for Delhi on Monday, intensified efforts to chart a way forward for implementing 42 per cent reservations for Backward Classes (BCs) in local bodies.
Soon after his arrival in the national capital, the Chief Minister, along with the ministers’ committee on the BC quota issue — comprising Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and ministers N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, D. Sridhar Babu, Ponnam Prabhakar, and Danasari Anasuya Seethakka — began consultations with legal experts to explore possible options.
The immediate concern before the government was the prolonged delay in securing Presidential assent to the Telangana government’s bills and ordinance on 42 per cent BC quota, which remain pending at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The delegation met senior advocate, Congress Rajya Sabha MP, and noted Constitutional expert Abhishek Manu Singhvi to seek his advice. The Chief Minister and his team are also trying to consult retired Supreme Court judge Justice B. Sudershan Reddy, the I.N.D.I.A. bloc’s vice-presidential candidate, on the matter.
On Tuesday, Revanth Reddy, Bhatti, and other ministers will travel to Bihar to participate in AICC leader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra,’ against the BJP’s attempts at “vote theft.”
Revanth Reddy is keen on finding a clear solution to the quota issue by August 28 so that it can be placed before the state Cabinet meeting scheduled for August 29. The urgency stems from the High Court’s directive, which set September 30 as the deadline for the government to finalise BC reservations and complete local body elections.
Against this backdrop, the government has decided to argue its case strongly in the Supreme Court, which is hearing the Presidential reference on its judgment imposing a 90-day limit for Presidential assent to and Governor’s approval for state legislation. Parallelly, the government is examining the option of issuing a Government Order (GO) to enforce 42 per cent BC quota, though doubts remain about whether such an order could withstand judicial scrutiny.
If neither option works, the Congress is considering a political route by allotting 42 per cent tickets to BC candidates in local body elections, thereby ensuring their empowerment even without formal reservation.
The government had earlier passed a Bill in March approving 42 per cent BC quota in local bodies. As the measure breached the 50 per cent overall reservation ceiling fixed by the Supreme Court, the Governor referred the Bill to the President.
Subsequently, the state Cabinet approved an Ordinance in July to amend the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act, 2018, to remove the ceiling, but that too was referred to the President. With both the Bill and ordinance still awaiting Presidential clearance, the government is caught in a legal tangle.
