Hyderabad: Rajya Sabha member R Krishnaiah demanded implementation of 42% BC reservations in the upcoming MPTC and ZPTC elections and led a protest rally in the city on Friday.
Under the leadership of National BC Welfare Association leader Arun Kumar, students and BC activists marched from Liberty to the Ambedkar statue. They later staged a protest demanding enhanced quota for backward classes in parishad polls.
Addressing the gathering, R Krishnaiah said governments must recognise people’s sentiments and ongoing movements. He said the state should ensure enhanced BC quota before conducting MPTC and ZPTC elections.
He announced statewide dharnas, protests and rallies to intensify the agitation. According to him, BC communities would continue their movement until the government accepted the 42% BC reservations demand.
He alleged that BCs faced injustice in reservations during panchayat and municipal elections. Therefore, he said, the government must correct the imbalance in the forthcoming parishad polls.
42% BC reservations demand intensifies statewide
R Krishnaiah said the government should implement 42% BC reservations before issuing election notifications. Without such a step, he warned, the agitation would intensify across districts.
He reiterated that parishad elections must proceed only after increasing BC representation to the promised level. Otherwise, he said, students and community groups would expand the protest.
Several BC leaders participated in the programme. Among them were Neela Venkatesh, Ananthayya, Gujja Satyam, Pagilla Satish, Jillapalli Anji and Ramdev Modi.
The protest concluded with a renewed call for enhanced BC quota in the MPTC and ZPTC elections.