HYDERABAD, February 13: Union Minister Bandi Sanjay expressed concerns over the Telangana government’s recent caste enumeration survey report, alleging that it unjustly reduces the population count of Backward Classes (BCs). He criticised the Congress party for its approach to BC reservations, asserting that including Muslims in the BC category deprives genuine BC communities of appropriate reservations.
Sanjay stated, “The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) opposes religion-based reservations. Despite this known stance, the Congress continues to push such agendas, which is sheer folly. The Congress lacks sincerity in implementing BC reservations.” He further contended that integrating Muslims into the BC category could lead to widespread dissent within the Hindu community and have adverse consequences for the Congress in upcoming elections.
He challenged the Congress’s commitment to BC welfare, suggesting that if the party were genuine, it should remove Muslims from the BC list and fulfil its promise of providing 42% reservations to BCs. Sanjay accused the Congress of reneging on its assurances and betraying BC communities.
Additionally, Sanjay criticised the Congress for delaying local body elections, highlighting that postponing these elections could result in Telangana losing grants from the 15th Finance Commission. He accused the Congress government of violating constitutional amendments that mandate local elections every five years and suggested that fear of electoral defeat was the primary reason for the postponement.
The Congress party has yet to respond to these allegations. The discourse surrounding BC reservations and the inclusion of Muslims remains a contentious issue in Telangana’s political landscape.
