Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has suggested Bandaru Dattatreya, former Haryana Governor, for the vacant Vice-President role after Jagdeep Dhankhar‘s unexpected resignation. Reddy believes this would honor Telangana and the Backward Classes (BCs). He stated that removing Dattatreya as Governor was disrespectful to Telangana and its citizens. Naming him as Dhankhar’s replacement would rectify this.
He discussed Dhankhar’s resignation at a press event in Delhi on Wednesday. Reddy clarified that his proposal reflects the wishes of Telangana people, not his party’s stance. He promised to seek national agreement if Dattatreya is nominated for Vice-President.
Reddy mentioned that the Assembly passed two resolutions for 42% reservation for BCs in education, jobs, and local governance, which were sent to Parliament. However, the Centre is delaying its approval. The Congress party plans to pressure the Centre and will discuss a strategy with Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday to gain support from other opposition parties.
The Chief Minister also mentioned that Congress MPs would learn more about the caste census. Addressing claims of minority favoritism through Muslim reservations, he explained that Muslim groups were chosen based on economic need, not religion. He said 38 Muslim sub-castes receive reservations in Madhya Pradesh.
He questioned if 27 Muslim sub-castes in Gujarat and seven in Uttar Pradesh receive reservations. He challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s decision to include Muslim groups in Gujarat under the Pasmanda category for reservations. Reddy noted that such reservations persist in states like Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra. He criticized BJP leaders for misunderstanding BC reservations and accused them of obstructing these reservations.
Reddy said the expert committee on caste census has submitted a report, which will be publicly discussed in the Cabinet and Legislative Assembly. Criticizing former leader K Chandrashekar Rao for amending the Panchayat Raj Act to the detriment of BCs, Reddy stated that the current Congress government aims to provide reservations based on social disadvantages.
