BC is the buzzword in Congress, BJP campaigns

The Congress has assured a Caste Census and a hike in the BC reservations “within six months of assuming power” in the State.

Two national parties – Congress and BJP – are desperately wooing the numerically preponderant Backward Classes to secure their support in the Assembly elections. While BJP has promised “Telangana’s first Chief Minister from Backward Community,” the Congress has assured a Caste Census and a hike in the BC reservations “within six months of assuming power” in the State. Leaving aside their claims to wrest power in the State, it is obvious that these two parties have nothing much to offer by way of new initiatives to improve the lot of BCs (excluding those among minorities) who account for 46 per cent of the State’s population and electorate.

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The Congress released its “Kamareddy BC Declaration,” followed by a full-throated “Abhaya Hastham” manifesto and the BJP unveiled its “BC CM” promise in its “Sakala Janula Saubhagya Telangana Pragathi Parnalika.” The Congress assures to spend Rs 20,000 crore per annum, amounting to Rs one lakh crore in five years for BC Welfare. Mahatma Jyothiba Phule BC Sub-Plan will be accorded statutory status and allocated adequate funds “in the first Assembly session.”

Among other things, the Congress promises to create a “separate MBC Ministry” and to establish corporations for all the BC castes for their overall development. Interest and collateral-free loans will be provided to BC youth to establish small businesses or pursue higher education. BC Aikyatha Bhavans, named after Prof K Jayashankar, will be constructed in all district headquarters. Caste-specific initiatives are envisaged for Mudiraj, Gangaputra, Yadav, Kuruma, Goud, Munnuru Kapu, Padmashali, Vishwakarma, Nayee Brahmin, Perika, Vaddera and Rajaka castes and other artisan communities by allocating “adequate” funds for the corporations and federations established for their welfare.

The Congress will provide sub-categorisation in BC reservations in local bodies apart from increasing the quantum of these reservations to 42 per cent from the existing 23 per cent to create 23,973 new elected posts for BCs in panchayats and municipalities. Also, 42 per cent reservations will be earmarked for BCs in government civil construction and maintenance contracts.

After offering the top political job (CM’s post) to a BC, the BJP is quite modest in its specific commitments for the BCs. The saffron party assures to remove the “unconstitutional” religion-based reservations and reallocate the same to BCs, SCs and STs commensurate with their population. In other words, the four percent quota for the socially and educationally backward Muslim groups under BC “E” category will be dispensed with and it will be assigned to ABCD groups among BCs as also SC and ST communities.

The BJP will seek to provide statutory backing to the State BC Commission, provide pensions for all artisans listed in the PM Vishwa Karma Yojana on the lines of Atal Pension Yojana and extend the ESI facilities to “Utpatti kulalu” engaged in production activities and labour-intensive works. BC Chamber of Commerce and Industry will be established to enable creation of more self-employment opportunities for BC youth.

Most of the promises trotted out by the Congress are redundant since the Telangana government has launched many schemes and initiatives for all sub-castes of the BCs. The budgetary allocations for the welfare of BCs have been raised manifold in the last 10 years. The allocation in the current state budget is a whopping Rs 6,220 crore for the BC Welfare Department, apart from the allocations for schemes for BCs and other sections implemented by the other departments.

BC Community Atma Gourava Bhavans for 41 BC sub-castes have been taken up for construction at different locations in and around Hyderabad. Enhanced allocations are provided for the TS Backward Classes Cooperative Finance Corporation, MBC Development Corporation and the cooperative societies federations for 11 BC sub-castes. In July this year, Telangana government launched the Rs one lakh financial assistance scheme for BC communities involved in traditional occupations in the State. The scheme attracted over five lakh applications. In the current financial year, 40,000 BCs are being provided assistance with budgetary allocation of Rs 400 crores.

As almost all sub-castes of the BCs have been getting assistance in cash and kind under various schemes of the State Government, there is nothing more that they can get from the Congress or the BJP if either of them comes to power. The BJP’s “BC CM” promise has turned out to be a big joke, with many BCs believing that the saffron party is taking them for a ride as it has bleak chances of coming to power in Telangana.

However, the “BC CM” plank has proved to be counter-productive for the BJP as it has intensified the infighting among BC leaders in the run-up to the elections. There are no less than four contenders for the post, including one from Mudiraj caste and three from Munnuru Kapu community. But they also realize that the odds are heavy as the BJP would remain at the third place in the Assembly elections.