Revanth Reddy's protest not for backward classes but for Muslim reservation: Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar

New Delhi, Aug 6 (PTI) Union minister and Telangana BJP leader Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Wednesday accused the state government of pushing reservation for all Muslims in the name of enhanced quota for backward classes, as he slammed Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for his protest in Delhi to demand presidential nod to two related bills.

Reddy led the protest by Congress at the Jantar Mantar here to demand Presidential assent for the Backward Classes (BC) reservation bills passed by the state legislature in March and alleged that the BJP-led government at the Centre was stalling the bills as it was "anti-OBC".

Hitting back, Sanjay Kumar claimed that the Congress' protest was not for the backward classes but solely to push for "total reservation" for Muslims. He termed religious-based reservations as a "poisonous tree" which will spread across the country if "it is not uprooted in Telangana".

The Congress has betrayed its own declaration and is now implementing a Muslim declaration for vote bank politics, completely deceiving the backward classes, he alleged.

Backward classes are not supporting the Congress protest, the former Telangana BJP president said.

He said that while the Congress had promised 42 per cent reservations for backward classes in its manifesto, it is now giving a sub-quota of 10 per cent for Muslims. "Only 32 per cent will actually go to BCs." The Modi government has already implemented 27 per cent BC reservations, he said.

The BJP's stand is clear that religious-based reservations go against the Constitution, he said while demanding the entire 42 per cent reservations exclusively for BCs.

He said, "Otherwise, we will block the bill at all costs. If this poisonous tree is not uprooted in Telangana, it will spread across the country. Muslim reservations must be immediately scrapped or the Congress will face public backlash." Accusing the Congress of shedding crocodile tears for the BCs, he said the party in its long rule in the undivided Andhra Pradesh never made even one chief minister from the community.

It was the BJP that gave the nation its first backward class prime minister in Narendra Modi, he added.

The Telangana Assembly passed the two bills in March to enhance reservation for other backward classes to 42 per cent in education, employment and local bodies. The bills were forwarded to the governor and are currently awaiting Presidential assent.

Reddy told reporters that the caste census was duly approved by the state cabinet, the assembly and the people, and questioned how the Centre could undermine the decision of an elected state government.

“We are pro-OBC. Rahul Gandhi is pro-OBC. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is anti-OBC. We will see how to give this reservation. If he won't give this time, we will defeat him in the coming election. The prime minister is least bothered about the caste census. His intentions are there against OBC,” the Congress leader said. PTI KR RT