KCR Blocking 42% BC Reservation: Revanth Reddy

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy today launched a sharp attack on former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao for "not supporting" the State government's move to provide 42% reservation for Backward Classes (BCs) in the upcoming local body elections.

Participating in a debate on the BC quota bill in the Assembly, the Chief Minister alleged that the BRS chief was opposed to BC empowerment and was creating hurdles for the passage of the bill.

However, BRS legislator G Kamalakar's statement in support of the bill was admirable, the CM said, and appealed to him not to yield to pressure from his party leadership, and also urged him to stop spreading misinformation among weaker sections. He said that constant blame-trading among BC leaders would only weaken the community.

Reddy held KCR responsible for not enhancing BC reservations during his tenure, and said that the Panchayat Raj Act, 2018 - enacted under the BRS rule - did not allow the quota to exceed 50%.

He also questioned the BRS' refusal to support a major protest held at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi demanding the Union government's approval of the pending BC quota bills before the President of India. "This clearly shows the BRS' lack of sincerity in increasing the BC reservations," Reddy said.

He also alleged that the BRS had influenced the Governor to stall his government's ordinance on the BC quota. The Governor, he said, had referred the bills and ordinance to the President, but approval was still awaited. The State government had also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi five times seeking an appointment on the issue but had received no positive response.

"Given all of that, the government decided to introduce a bill in the Assembly to lift the 50% cap on reservations," he claimed.

Warning the BRS of public backlash, the Chief Minister said, "People have already given a mandate against you. If you continue playing politics with BC empowerment, you will face more of the people's ire and further lose your stature."

Responding to Kamalakar's remarks about the challenges faced by Rajasthan and Bihar, the CM said that the Telangana government had already deputed an official committee and ministers to study policies in other States to overcome legal hurdles.