Hyderabad: The Congress party on Wednesday staged a major protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi demanding approval for 42% reservations for Backward Classes (BCs) in Telangana. Addressing the gathering, All India Mahila Congress president Alka Lamba accused the BJP-led Centre of suppressing BC rights by withholding assent to the reservation bill passed by the Telangana Assembly.
Welcoming leaders and supporters from Telangana, Lamba said the presence of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Deputy CM, ministers, MLAs, MPs, and party cadres had turned national attention toward Delhi. She claimed security deployment had shifted from Parliament to Jantar Mantar, saying, “Delhi fears Telangana’s voice.”
BC reservation protest led by Telangana Congress targets Centre’s delay on quota bill
Alka Lamba credited Sonia Gandhi and the people of Telangana for the formation of the state, and praised the Congress government for implementing pro-people schemes like ₹500 gas cylinders, free bus travel for women, farm loan waivers, and employment programs under Revanth Reddy’s leadership.
She condemned the BJP, RSS, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for opposing caste-based enumeration and blocking the rightful share of BC communities. “Telangana has shown the country how to conduct a caste survey. The result 42% of the population are BCs demands 42% reservations in education, jobs, and political representation,” she said.
She alleged that the President has been holding Telangana’s reservation bill for over four months and demanded its immediate approval. Alka Lamba vowed that the Congress would not let BC rights be denied.
Hailing Rahul Gandhi as the face of social justice, she said his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra had made BC, Dalit, tribal, and women’s rights a national priority. “This fight is for constitutional justice. Telangana has lit the path forward,” she said.
