Hyderabad: With the High Court directing the Telangana government to conduct Panchayat elections within three months, all major political parties — Congress, BRS, and BJP — are aggressively pushing their stance on 42% reservations for Backward Classes (BCs).
The Congress and BRS are urging the BJP-led Centre to give Presidential assent to two BC reservation bills passed by the state legislature. In response, the BJP claims the implementation responsibility lies with the state.
BRS MLC K. Kavitha has called for a “Rail Roko” protest on July 17, pressuring the Centre to clear the bills. She also sent letters to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and BJP’s new state chief Ramchander Rao, asking both parties to take decisive action.
Congress President Kharge, during his visit to Hyderabad on July 4, reportedly told the state government to delay local body polls until BC quota implementation is ensured. Meanwhile, BJP’s Ramchander Rao challenged the Congress to act on its poll promises rather than blame the Centre.
With local elections approaching, BC reservations have become a hot-button issue, turning into a political tug-of-war in the state.
