BC Welfare Association presses for OBC quota in Women’s Reservation Bill

At a meeting in Khammam, BC Welfare Association leader Gundala Krishna demanded statutory recognition for OBCs within the Women's Reservation Bill, stressing the need for a sub-quota for OBC women. He criticised the government for pushing the bill without conducting a caste-based census.

Khammam: BC Welfare Association senior leader Gundala Krishna stated that statutory recognition must be accorded to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) within the Women’s Reservation Bill to provide reservations to BC women.

A meeting of the association’s key leaders was held in Khammam on Saturday. Speaking at the meeting, he asserted that a specific share must be allocated to OBCs alongside the general women’s reservation; only then, he noted, would it constitute a true tribute to the social reformer Jyotirao Phule.

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Krishna pointed out that despite the presence of a ‘caste’ column in the census, the actual population count of BCs remains undetermined due to the lack of a specific OBC classification. An OBC enumeration should be conducted immediately and based on those findings, a sub-quota for OBCs should be established within the women’s reservation framework.

He further remarked that the failure to implement this bill has exacerbated political and social inequalities. The BJP-led NDA government is hurriedly pushing the Women’s Reservation Bill ahead before taking up caste-based census so as to deny reservation for OBC women.

Expressing regret that Phule Jayanti celebrations have been conducted in the streets for several years, Krishna urged for the immediate completion of the construction of the ‘BC Bhavan’ in Khammam. A statue of Jyotirao Phule should be installed at the district collectorate complex.

Former DCCB chairman K Nagabhushanam, District Padmashali Association honorary president Bomma Rajeshwara Rao, Gowda Association president Katthi Nehru and others were present.