BRS warns Congress against holding elections without BC reservations

BRS leaders Talasani Srinivas Yadav and V Srinivas Goud warned the Congress government against holding local body elections without securing 42 per cent BC reservations. They urged participation in the October 18 statewide BC bandh and criticised Congress for mishandling the caste census

Hyderabad: BRS senior leaders Talasani Srinivas Yadav and V Srinivas Goud on Thursday warned the Congress government against holding elections to gram panchayats and municipalities without securing 42 per cent reservations for backward classes (BCs). They reiterated that BC reservations can be implemented only through a constitutional amendment and inclusion in the Ninth Schedule.

The BRS leaders declared that they would actively participate in the Statewide BC bandh on October 18, called by the BC JAC demanding 42 per cent reservations for BCs. The BRS cadre will join the bandh in their respective areas in solidarity with the BC JAC.

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Speaking at Telangana Bhavan, Srinivas Yadav said the Congress government had turned BC reservations into political drama, which had failed in court as predicted by the BRS. He accused the Congress of mishandling the caste census and criticised the inclusion of photographs of the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister on survey papers.

Srinivas Goud said the Congress had been misleading BCs while ignoring the issue for 17 months. He reminded that without proper law supporting BC reservations, the courts would never give verdicts in its favour. He slammed the Congress leadership for staging a dharna in Delhi for public show, without any tangible outcome. “Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi themselves did not even show up. Telangana Congress leaders went there just to enjoy themselves,” he said.

Calling for unity among Backward Classes, the BRS leaders urged every BC household to join the bandh, vowing that the BRS would continue to pursue the Congress until every promise made to BCs is fulfilled.