Congress to deploy 100 BC leaders for Bihar campaign despite unfulfilled promises in Telangana

The Telangana Congress is set to send 100 BC leaders, including Ministers, to Bihar to campaign, even as its own BC reservation and welfare promises remain unfulfilled at home. A similar campaign strategy failed earlier in Maharashtra

Hyderabad: Amid uncertainty over extending 42 per cent reservations to BCs in local body elections, the Congress in Telangana is preparing to send 100 BC leaders, including Ministers, to campaign in the Bihar elections.

The party aims to showcase the caste census and two bills passed in the Telangana Assembly to garner support from backward communities in Bihar. “Nearly 100 BC leaders, including Ministers, MLAs, MLCs, Corporation chairmen and others will visit Bihar and campaign for the party,” said a senior leader at Gandhi Bhavan.

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The Congress had promised in its manifesto before the Telangana Assembly elections to increase BC reservations based on the caste census and the BC Commission report within six months of assuming power. It has been nearly 22 months since the party came to power, but the promise remains unfulfilled.

Adding to the uncertainty, the High Court has directed the State government to conduct panchayat elections before September 30, leaving little scope for extending 42 per cent reservations in time.

Under the Kamareddy Declaration, the Congress had assured 42 per cent reservations for BCs in government civil construction and maintenance contracts, Rs 20,000 crore annual allocation for BC welfare, and a separate Ministry for Most Backward Classes. The manifesto also promised interest-free and collateral-free loans of up to Rs 10 lakh for BC youth to start businesses or pursue higher education.

None of these promises have been implemented, yet the Congress is now planning to seek the support of BC communities in Bihar with similar assurances.

It may be recalled that a similar strategy in Maharashtra failed. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy was among 40 star campaigners in that State, where he and his Cabinet colleagues highlighted their promises. However, the Congress performed poorly, losing nine of the ten constituencies where he had campaigned. Significantly, these constituencies had large numbers of Telugu-speaking voters, but the party still failed to win their confidence.