Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy suggested an alternative plan, saying the Congress will lead by example, allocating 42% of its party tickets to BC candidates and pressuring other parties to follow suit.
Published Aug 07, 2025 | 7:22 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 07, 2025 | 7:22 PM
Revanth Reddy-led protest in New Delhi saw the participation of like-minded regional leaders, and it projected the BJP as the primary obstacle to BC empowerment. (X)
Synopsis: Revanth Reddy and others requested an appointment with President Droupadi Murmu, but it was not granted. He alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP denied them access to the President.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday, 7 August, accused the BJP-led Central government of deliberately blocking the state’s efforts to implement enhanced reservations for Backward Classes (BCs).
Wrapping up a three-day protest in New Delhi, Reddy said that the Telangana Cabinet had been camping in the capital since 5 August, awaiting an appointment with President Droupadi Murmu — but to no avail.
“We had sought an appointment 10 days ago. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP denied us access to the President. This isn’t just unfortunate — it’s an insult to the people of Telangana,” he said, holding the BJP squarely responsible for the delay in granting assent to two key reservation Bills.
The Telangana government had passed two Bills and an ordinance proposing 42% reservations for BCs in education, employment, and local bodies — a central promise made in the Congress’s 2023 Kamareddy Declaration. Revanth stressed that the reservation was based purely on social and economic backwardness, not religion.
The state Governor forwarded the Bills to the President for her assent.
Countering the BJP’s claim that the Congress was trying to provide reservations for Muslims under the OBC category, he said: “That’s false propaganda. BJP is misleading the nation. There is not a single provision in the Bills that grants religion-based quotas.”
He cited examples of backward Muslim groups already included under the OBC category in BJP-ruled states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh. “Even Modi himself admitted in an interview that Muslims from backward communities are benefiting from OBC quotas,” he pointed out.
Revanth also took a swipe at Union Ministers G Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar, questioning whether their objections were based on legal knowledge or political motives. He didn’t spare the BRS either, accusing it of siding with the BJP and playing a “Shikhandi” role in sabotaging BC rights. “Their MPs skipped our protest. Instead of supporting us, they chose to mock us,” he alleged.
With the legal path blocked — the Bills awaiting Presidential assent and the ordinance pending with the Governor — Revanth announced an alternative plan: a voluntary 42% reservation for BCs in local body election tickets.
“We’re under a legal constraint. The High Court has ordered that local body elections be completed by 30 September 2025. If we issue a Government Order (GO) exceeding the 50% quota cap, it will be stayed by the courts,” he explained.
Instead, the Congress will lead by example, allocating 42% of its party tickets to BC candidates and pressuring other parties to follow suit. “If they don’t, they will be exposed before the BC community,” he warned.
The chief minister’s remarks came on the final day of the party’s Delhi agitation, which included a high-profile Maha Dharna at Jantar Mantar on 6 August. The protest saw participation of like-minded regional leaders and was designed to project the BJP as the primary obstacle to BC empowerment.
Revanth and other Telangana Congress leaders also met with AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge to brief him on the developments. While top leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Kharge did not attend the protest, they extended support via social media. Their absence, however, raised some eyebrows about coordination within the party.
Union Minister Kishan Reddy dismissed the Congress’s Delhi mission as a “political drama” meant to divert attention from governance failures. He accused the party of attempting to sneak in a 10% quota for Muslims under the guise of a 42% BC reservation.
Reddy said the BJP would support the bills if the alleged “religion-based quota” was removed. The BJP has also argued that the Congress’s tactics are aimed at reviving its sagging political fortunes by playing identity politics.
With the local body elections looming and legal approval for the quota still pending, the Congress appears to be banking on political pressure and moral optics to gain public support. BCs form a significant vote bank in Telangana, and by painting the BJP and BRS as anti-BC, Congress hopes to consolidate this crucial constituency.
The Kamareddy Declaration was Congress’s trump card in the 2023 Assembly elections, marking a sharp break from the BRS’s decade-long dominance. Whether this Delhi campaign will translate into electoral gains now depends on how effectively the party can implement its 42% reservation pledge on the ground.
As Revanth and his team prepare to return to Hyderabad, the battle over BC reservations seems far from over. With the BJP launching a counteroffensive and the fate of the bills still undecided, the issue is set to remain a political flashpoint in Telangana in the run-up to the 2025 local body polls.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
