BJP comes up with next poll gimmick on ST reservation

Years after the Bharat Rashtra Samithi government passed a bill in the State Assembly enhancing ST reservation from six percent to 10 percent, the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has kept the bill pending at the Centre for over six years now, is now suddenly promising to enhance ST reservation.

Hyderabad: Years after the Bharat Rashtra Samithi government passed a bill in the State Assembly enhancing ST reservation from six percent to 10 percent, the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has kept the bill pending at the Centre for over six years now, is now suddenly promising to enhance ST reservation.

Undoubtedly another election-oriented promise on the lines of the National Turmeric Board and Tribal University, the ST reservation promise is also something that the BJP-led Centre had kept in cold storage despite repeated requests and reminders from the State government.

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Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy, during a visit to Mulugu district late last week, claimed the credit for the Tribal University for the Modi government and promised to “enhance” the ST reservation quota from 6 to 10 percent if the BJP was voted to power in Telangana. What he however forgot was that the BRS government had already passed a Bill in the State Assembly on April 16, 2017 enhancing the ST quota, with the bill pending with the Centre for the last six years. The State, after waiting for over five years, had in October last year, issued a Government Order enhancing ST reservations from 6 per cent to 10 percent in educational institutions and services under the State government.

Kishan Reddy, who said nothing on why his government at the Centre failed to accord Presidential assent to the Bill passed by the State Assembly six years ago, also did not elaborate about how the Centre would enhance the ST quota or the time period in which it would be done.

Even in the issue of the Turmeric Board and Tribal University, the NDA government slept for nine long years and suddenly, just when the polls were round the corner, suddenly made the announcements.