Telangana Assembly passes bills to increase BC quota to 42% in education, employment

HYDERABAD: The Telangana Legislative Assembly on Monday passed two bills to increase the reservation to backward classes to 42 per cent in educational institutions, employment and also elections to rural and urban local bodies. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who thanked the members of all parties for supporting the bills, said he would lead the effort to ensure the Parliament's nod for providing 42 per cent reservation to the BCs (as provision of 42 per cent reservaion to BCs would breach the 50 per cent cap on quotas). He proposed that leaders of all parties meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hike the reservation to BCs to 42 per cent from 23 per cent.

The CM urged Union Ministers G Kishan Reddy, Bandi Sanjay Kumar and the BJP MLAs to help in getting the PM's appointment. He proposed meeting the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, as well to request him to raise the issue in Parliament as part of the effort to get the Centre's nod to the bills. He claimed that the Supreme Court imposed 50 per cent cap on reservations as there was no data on population.

The Telangana government has carried out a transparent caste survey for the first time in the country, which showed that population of BCs was 56.36 per cent, Revanth Reddy said. He said it is the responsibility of all parties who have representation in the Assembly to ensure that the bills get Parliament's nod during the ongoing session itself. The government is committed to the 'BC Declaration' announced by ruling Congress before the 2023 Assembly polls which promised to increase BC quota to 42 per cent from 23 per cent in local bodies, besides giving 42 per cent reservation in government civil construction and maintenance contracts, he said.

Parliament's nod to bill

In a post on 'X', the CM said the Congress government is resolved to increase reservation to the BCs in education, employment and political representation to 42 per cent from 23 per cent. The population of backward classes in the state is 56.36 per cent based on the caste survey conducted in the state, he said. "It is my honour to announce the longest pending demand of the subaltern groups since Indian Independence, the yearning of our brothers & sisters belonging to the Backward Castes, on being counted & recognised in an official census - has finally found deliverance," he said. "We are now resolving to ensure 42 percent reservations for this Group in all walks of life - education, jobs and employment & political representation," he said.

The bills were supported by opposition parties, including BRS, BJP and AIMIM. A CMO release later said CM Revanth Reddy sent a letter to PM Modi seeking appointment to meet him along with the leaders of Congress, BRS, BJP, AIMIM and CPI. Observing that the Assembly had unanimously passed two separate bills to enhance reservations to BCs to 42 per cent in education, employment and also local bodies, the CM sought the Centre's support to the bills, it said.