Hyderabad: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Bandi Sanjay Kumar, said that it is the duty of the Telangana state government to implement 42 percent reservations for Backward Classes (BCs). Speaking on Wednesday, he mentioned that under Article 243 of the Constitution, each state has the power to form its own commission and apply BC reservations as per the law.
He pointed out that during the last state assembly elections, the Congress party had promised in its manifesto to provide 42 percent reservations for BCs. He questioned why the Congress did not say at the time that this promise would only be fulfilled with approval from the central government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also criticized the party for not consulting the central government before making such a commitment.
“Why is Congress blaming the Modi government now?” he asked. “Just holding up a copy of the Constitution is not enough. Congress leaders don’t seem to understand how it works,” he added. He also said that Congress has a clear majority in the state assembly, along with support from the BRS, so they have the power to carry out the reservations without blaming others.
Sanjay Kumar accused Congress of using the BJP as a scapegoat and called it an example of “utter escapism.” He made it clear that the BJP opposes reservations based on religion. He also claimed that the Congress government has purposely reduced the BC population count in Telangana from over 56 percent to 46 percent.
