Congress demands clarity from Centre on BC quota, slams BJP’s ‘Double Standards’

DELHI: In a strongly worded media briefing held in Delhi, TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud and senior Congress leaders, including BC MLAs and Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, slammed the BJP for what they described as duplicity and delay over the implementation of 42% BC reservations in Telangana.

“Implement It in a Minute If You Mean It”: Ponnam Challenges Bandi Sanjay

Responding to Union Minister Bandi Sanjay’s recent remarks that states have the power to implement BC reservations independently, Minister Ponnam Prabhakar challenged him to officially communicate that position through the Centre. “If the Centre gives us a written assurance that the state can proceed on its own, we will implement the 42% reservations within 24 hours,” he declared.

He pointed out that Telangana has already passed the reservation bill in the Legislative Assembly after a detailed caste census. He demanded that BJP ministers from the state, including Bandi Sanjay, G. Kishan Reddy, D. Arvind, K. Laxman, and Eatala Rajender, be transparent about their stance.

BJP’s Silence on Muslim Quota in EWS Questioned

Ponnam Prabhakar questioned the BJP’s selective targeting of Muslim quotas. “If the BJP is against Muslim reservations, why does it include Muslims in the 10% EWS (Economically Weaker Sections) quota?” he asked. “Are you denying EWS benefits to Muslims as well?”

He further questioned why BJP leaders remain silent on Muslim reservations being implemented in alliance-run states like Andhra Pradesh, where the BJP shares power with the TDP. “Do you have the courage to revoke the 4% Muslim quota in Andhra Pradesh?” he challenged.

Congress Calls Out ‘Hypocrisy’ on Reservation Policy

Prabhakar accused the BJP of playing divisive politics based on religion, stating, “Every morning, BJP wakes up with religion on their mind. Every election, they campaign on religion.”

He added, “Reservation is not a religious issue, it’s a socio-economic issue. When you give 10% to those who are only 13% of the population, you call it justice. But when we demand proportionate reservations for BCs based on field data, you oppose it.”

Congress Asks for Constitutional Inclusion

Congress leaders demanded that the Centre include Telangana’s 42% BC reservation bill in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, protecting it from legal challenges. “If the BJP truly believes in social justice, this should not be a problem,” Goud stated.

He reaffirmed that the reservation divisions (A, B, C, D) would be based on BC population data, and clarified that 139 castes have been categorised accordingly in Telangana.

Mahesh Kumar Goud highlighted that the Telangana caste survey was carried out by over one lakh employees at the field level, and the results were ratified through the CS, Planning Department, and BC Commission before being introduced as legislation. “Even after all this, if you question the sanctity of this bill, you are mocking democracy,” he said.

Goud made a heartfelt appeal to BJP leaders from Telangana—Bandi Sanjay, Eatala Rajender, Laxman, and Arvind Kumar—asking them to stand by their Assembly vote where they had unanimously supported the bill. “The Centre and state cannot speak in two different voices on this issue,” he said.

Telangana a Model for BC Empowerment

Ponnam Prabhakar concluded by asserting that the Telangana model for BC reservations could become a national role model. “We are fighting for BC rights with the same spirit that helped us achieve Telangana statehood. We demand that the Centre respect this democratic mandate,” he said.