Telangana Congress caught in caste and communal turmoil

The silence of the party leadership and CM A Revanth Reddy, with no action against those playing caste and communal politics politics, has triggered discussions in political circles whether this was a deliberate move to divide Telangana on casteist lines

Hyderabad: Even as the internecine tussle among the loyalists, defectors, MLAs and Ministers within the Congress is threatening to assume bigger proportions, the party appears to be caught in the quagmire of caste and communal politics as well now.

The silence of the party leadership and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, with no action against those playing such politics, has triggered discussions in political circles whether this was a deliberate move to divide Telangana on casteist lines.

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Sample this. The Congress Telangana unit had promised SC categorisation before the elections and assured to implement the Supreme Court judgment. However, Chennur MLA G Vivek Venkatswamy has been raising his voice against the SC categorisation and is demanding 20 per cent reservation for the Mala community. He had even organised a ‘Malala Simha Garjana’, a massive public meeting in the city on December 1. This has not gone down well with a section of Congress leaders and they are demanding that disciplinary action should be taken against Vivek.

Former MLA and AICC Secretary SA Sampath Kumar reminded that the Congress had announced its commitment towards SC classification in its manifesto. Revanth Reddy had also made an announcement in the State Assembly, he stressed. If a few leaders, including Vivek and others, raise objections over SC categorisation, it would be equal to raising their voice against the party. Disciplinary action should be taken against such leaders, he insisted recently.

Countering his comments, Vivek Venkatswamy had said that he was only striving for the welfare of his community. “My community’s self-respect is important for me and I am prepared to go to any extent,” Vivek had said.

Another issue that is worrying the State leadership is the promised 42 percent reservations to the BC community in local bodies. Even as it is yet to find a solution, Congress MLC Teenmaar Mallanna and a few other leaders have been alleging an upper hand for upper castes in the party. After the party declared Narender Reddy as its candidate for the Karimnagar-Nizamabad-Adilabad MLC constituency elections, Mallanna openly challenged the Reddy community leaders to win the elections without seeking BC community votes.

At a public meeting in Warangal on Sunday, the Congress MLC also made some casteist remarks using filthy language against the Reddy community. On Monday, continuing his tirade, the Congress MLC dubbed the Congress government’s caste survey report as bogus and said the survey done during former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s tenure was genuine. He even urged the BC community leaders to burn the caste census report. This apart, he wanted the State government to cancel the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) reservation.

In sharp contrast to Mallanna’s demands, Telangana Government Advisor and former Minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir said the State’s caste survey had provided strong evidence to protect the four percent Muslim reservation. The survey classified 10.08 percent of Telangana’s Muslim population under the BC category, strengthening the case for four percent reservation in jobs and education, which is pending in the Supreme Court, he said. This reservation was first proposed by the Kotla Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy regime in 1994 but implemented only in 2004 by YS Rajasekhara Reddy, he pointed out at a press conference here on Monday.

Manwhile, a few Muslim community leaders too are unhappy with the Congress government for failing to fulfill its promise made to the community. Mohammed Mushtaq Mallik, president of Tehreek Muslim Shabban, an organisation that supported the Congress in the 2023 polls, has been expressing concern over the lack of a Muslim Minister in the State cabinet. He has also been raising concerns over the delay in implementation of the Minorities Sub-Plan and the under utilisation of allocated funds.

As if these issues were not enough, there is widespread talk that the Congress is adopting a divide and rule strategy, especially on casteist lines, to divert the people’s attention from the unfulfilled promises made to the people. It is an open secret that Teenmaar Mallanna is a close aide of Revanth Reddy. Even as the Congress MLC continues to make objectionable comments and abuse the Reddy and Velama communities, he has been spared from any disciplinary action. This has triggered rumours that he was resorting to such caste politics with the tacit approval of the Chief Minister.