Hyderabad: Minister for Panchayat Raj, Rural Development, Women and Child Welfare Seethakka on Thursday accused the BRS of slashing Backward Class (BC) reservations during its tenure. She stated that they were misleading the public with false claims.
Speaking at Praja Bhavan, Seethakka refuted BRS working president KT Rama Rao’s allegation. She claimed that the Congress government had not reduced BC reservations to 17 percent. She described his claims as factually wrong. These claims, she suggested, were intended to divert attention from BRS’s own record on the issue.
Seethakka blames BRS for cutting BC quota
Seethakka said the Congress government had sincerely conducted a caste census and followed due process in determining reservation quotas. She recalled that in 2014, the then Congress-led government had given 34 percent reservations to BCs in local body elections.
However, in 2019, she alleged, the BRS government slashed that quota to 22 percent. “They cut the throats of BCs, and the BC community will never forget this injustice,” she said.
She noted that the Supreme Court had struck down the BRS government’s approach to fixing sarpanch reservations at the state level in 2019. Following the ruling, sarpanch reservations were treated at the mandal level. Meanwhile, ward member reservations were calculated at the gram panchayat level, in compliance with court directives.
Reservation changes due to legal cap
Seethakka clarified that the 50 percent reservation ceiling mandated by the Supreme Court necessitated adjustments. This was particularly required in certain areas where SC/ST populations were high. She stressed that the Congress government had made those changes to remain within the legal limit. The goal was not to reduce BC representation.
“If local elections are delayed, ₹3,000 crore from the Centre will be withheld, severely affecting rural development,” she warned.
Congress pledges 42% BC quota
She also declared that the Congress was prepared to allocate 42 percent of seats to BCs in upcoming local elections. Furthermore, she challenged the BRS to make a similar commitment. “While we are fighting to increase BC reservations, is the BRS ready to do the same?” she asked.