HYDERABAD: Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has announced a strategic shift in the state’s approach to securing increased reservations for Backward Classes (BCs). Speaking at a BC associations’ protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Wednesday, Reddy stated that Telangana would no longer seek resolutions in the capital but would instead compel Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address these issues within the state. He emphasized that the fight for enhanced BC reservations would now be waged locally, asserting that the Prime Minister should come to their streets to discuss and resolve the matter.
Reddy highlighted that despite significant pressure against conducting a caste-based census in Telangana, his administration proceeded, revealing that BCs constitute 56.36% of the state’s population. He criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for allegedly opposing measures aimed at empowering BC communities, referencing the historical context of the Mandal Commission’s recommendations and subsequent political maneuvers.
The Chief Minister accused the BJP of delaying the national census, originally scheduled for 2021, to avoid addressing caste demographics. He pointed out that no BJP-ruled state has undertaken a caste-based census, contrasting this with Telangana’s proactive approach. Reddy called upon the central government to permit states to increase BC reservations autonomously. He warned that failure to grant this authority would lead to massive protests, including a proposed ‘Dharma Yuddham’ (righteous war) at Parade Grounds with over a million participants.
This development underscores the escalating tensions between Telangana’s state government and the central administration regarding BC reservations, signaling a potential shift in the dynamics of federal-state relations in India.
