The government has now introduced the Bill in the Assembly to replace the ordinance, which remains pending with the President.
Published Aug 31, 2025 | 2:18 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 31, 2025 | 2:18 PM
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy (X)
Synopsis: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy alleged that state Governor Jishnu Dev Varma acted under the influence of former Finance Minister T Harish Rao in referring the ordinance on reservations in local bodies to the President without giving his assent.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Sunday, 31 August, alleged that state Governor Jishnu Dev Varma acted under the influence of former state finance minister T Harish Rao in referring the ordinance on reservations in local bodies to the President without giving his assent.
Speaking in the Assembly during a debate on the Bill to remove the cap on reservations in Panchayat Raj institutions, Revanth Reddy claimed that the Governor’s decision was influenced by the latter’s personal friendship with Harish Rao.
“Both Harish Rao and Jishnu Dev Varma served as finance ministers of Telangana and Tripura, respectively. This way, they became friends. The Governor trusted him and sent the ordinance to the President,” the chief minister said.
The government has now introduced the Bill in the Assembly to replace the ordinance, which remains pending with the President. Revanth Reddy told the House that once passed, the Bill would be forwarded to the Governor for his assent.
The Chief Minister explained that the government had taken “all necessary precautions” while drafting the Bills providing 42 percent reservations for Backward Classes (BCs) in local bodies, education, and employment, which were earlier sent to the Union government by the Governor.
Responding to criticism from BRS MLA Gangula Kamalakar, the chief minister cautioned him against spreading misinformation that could create doubts among BC communities.
He reminded the House that the government had initially tasked the State BC Commission with collecting community-wise data, but BJP Rajya Sabha MP R Krishnaiah challenged this in the high court.
He said that after the court directions, the state appointed a Dedicated Commission instead.
“Following the court’s order, we constituted a Dedicated Commission, examined similar exercises in Bihar and Rajasthan, and ensured all legal precautions were taken. The process, which began on 4 February 2024, was completed by 4 February 2025. Yet, for the past five months, the two Bills have been pending with the President,” Revanth Reddy said.
To highlight the importance of the initiative, the chief minister announced that the government would observe February 4 as Social Justice Day every year.
“This is to open the eyes of those who try to mislead people. The public has already punished you (BRS) for your past mistakes, and if you continue the same, they won’t even allow you to retain your current status,” he said, addressing the opposition.
Taking a swipe at former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, Revanth Reddy remarked that his stature would have grown if he supported the move. “If we are doing something that hasn’t been done in a hundred years, KCR should have appreciated it,” he said.
In a sharp personal dig, the chief minister said: “It’s not Kalvakuntla, it’s Kalvakunta. This is a family that does not let anyone meet one another. Kamalakar, at least in this matter, don’t bow to their pressure. The weaker sections should not insult each other and weaken themselves before others.”
Meanwhile, BRS working president KT Rama Rao said his party supported the bills aimed at providing 42 percent reservation to BCs. Speaking on the BC reservation bills, the former minister recalled that party supremo Chandrashekar Rao had waged several battles for the welfare of BCs, including raising the demand for a separate ministry for OBCs before the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
He further pointed out that the first Speaker of the first Telangana Legislative Assembly, S Madhusudana Chary, was a BC, and that the first Chairman of the Legislative Council was also a BC leader, K Swami Goud.
Rama Rao said that his party had ensured the representation of several BC leaders in the Rajya Sabha, including K Keshava Rao, D Srinivas, Banda Prakash, Lingaiah Yadav and Vaddiraju Ravichandra.
BJP member Payal Shankar insisted that there should be a thorough discussion on the Congress party’s Kamareddy Declaration, which promised 42 percent quota for BCs.
While extending support to the bill, the BJP leader said the government must clarify the doubts still lingering in the minds of the BCs. “If the Congress is truly committed to the welfare of the BCs, then why is their representation in the state cabinet so minimal? Does it mean the Congress believes there are no capable BC legislators in its own ranks to be given cabinet berths in good numbers?” he asked.
Payal Shankar further questioned how many BCs had been appointed as chairpersons of corporations. “The Congress had promised an annual allocation of ₹20,000 crore for BC welfare. It has been 22 months since the party came to power in the state. By now, the allocation should have been at least ₹40,000 crore,” but not even a red cent has been allocated, he said
After a detailed discussion in the Assembly, two key bills — the Municipal Act Amendment Bill and the Panchayat Raj Act Amendment Bill — removing the cap on reservations were passed. With this change, the Congress government can now fulfil its promise of providing 42 percent reservations to BCs, as announced in its Kamareddy Declaration ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections.
Earlier in the day, as soon as the House convened, the government tabled the full report of the Justice PC Ghose Commission on the alleged irregularities in the construction of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS). A detailed discussion on the report is expected to follow.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
