Hyderabad, Oct 17 Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Friday asked state BJP leaders to secure appointments with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu for the approval of two Bills pending with the Centre for enhancing reservation for the Backward Classes to 42 per cent in education, employment and local bodies.
He urged Union Ministers G. Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar, along with BJP State president N. Ramachander Rao, to take the lead and secure appointments with Prime Minister Modi and President Murmu.
Addressing a press conference in Khammam, the Deputy Chief Minister said Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and all political parties in the State were ready to go to Delhi if the BJP leaders secured the appointments.
He accused the BJP government at the Centre of preventing 42 per cent reservation to Backward Classes (BCs). He wanted to know why the BJP was stalling the approval of the BC quota Bills in the Parliament.
Stating that the Congress government in the State committed to providing 42 per cent reservation to BCs, he said the government conducted a survey and, based on that, two Bills were tabled and passed in the Assembly. The Bills were sent to the Governor for approval, and he forwarded them to the Centre for the President’s approval.
He recalled that the government repeatedly requested in writing to allow an all-party delegation to meet the President and Prime Minister regarding the issue, but there was no response from the Centre.
Vikramarka mentioned that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had led a dharna in New Delhi to demand approval for the BC reservation Bills.
State Congress Mahesh Kumar Goud invited all political parties to stage a dharna in Delhi, but the BJP did not extend support.
He said since the previous BRS government had brought a law in 2018 imposing a 50 per cent cap on overall reservation in local bodies, the Congress government passed another Bill in the Assembly and sent it to the Governor for approval.
On the Supreme Court declining to interfere with a Telangana High Court order that had stayed Government Order enhancing the reservation for BCs in local bodies to 42 per cent, he said the government would study the judgment after receiving a copy and discuss it with legal experts to decide its next course of action.
A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta declined to stay the High Court's interim order, observing that it could not take a view inconsistent with Constitution Bench rulings that have fixed a 50 per cent ceiling on total reservations in local body elections. However, it said that local body elections could proceed without the proposed hike in BC quotas.
The Deputy Chief Minister said a decision would be taken after a discussion in the State Cabinet meeting scheduled on October 23.
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