With this, KCR has sought to project himself as the messiah of the tribals, and show that the BJP does not heed their cries for justice.
Published Oct 01, 2022 | 4:12 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 01, 2022 | 4:14 PM
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao. (Supplied)
Setting the tone for the launch of his new political party at the national level on Dasara on 5 October, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has redeemed his promise of providing 10 percent reservations to Telangana tribals in government service and education.
In a late-night GO (No: 33) on Friday, 30 September, the Tribal Welfare Department said that the enhancement of reservations from 6 percent to 10 percent for tribals came into force with immediate effect.
KCR, by keeping his promise, apparently sought to project himself as the messiah of the tribals. At the same time, he managed to paint the BJP — his political adversary — as one that does not heed the tribals’ cries for social justice.
The GO made a reference to how the enhancement of reservations made by the Tamil Nadu government up to 69 percent came into effect after the Central government included it in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.
The government said that under special circumstances, the total percentage of reservations could breach the 50 percent ceiling, and that this was allowed by the Supreme Court in its order in the Indra Sawhney Vs Union of India case in 1993 while fixing the 50 percent ceiling for reservations.
The GO listed out the observations made by IAS officer S Challappa, who headed a Commission of Inquiry for Scheduled Tribes (STs), of which the main observation was that the increase in the population of the STs was the main reason for the enhancement of reservations.
The Challappa Commission said that there was a significant rise in the population of STs since 1986, when 6 percent reservation was implemented for them.
The increase was on account of the creation of Telangana from the united Andhra Pradesh in 2014, encompassing areas with higher tribal populations. They accounted for 9.08 percent of the total population in accordance with the 2011 census.
The GO also recalled the Telangana Assembly passing a bill unanimously on 16 April, 2017, to enhance reservations for the STs up to 10 percent. The Bill was sent to the Centre for obtaining the assent of the President in 2017. Over the last six years, the state government sent several representations in this regard, but the Bill remained with the Central government.
The welfare of the tribals is one of the key areas of KCR’s manifesto for the national agenda.
After enhancing the reservations in the state, KCR has acquired the moral authority to demand similar enhancement all over the nation.
At present, there are about 705 ethnic groups recognised as STs. They are estimated to number 10.4 crore, or 8.6 percent of the total population of the country.
The chief minister made an announcement that he would enhance reservations for tribals on 17 September, while addressing a huge public gathering in Hyderabad, apparently to push the BJP on the back foot.
The decision might help him in the near term, while he faces a byelection to Munugode, where tribals constitute about 6.74 percent of its population of 2.90 lakh, of which eligible voters would be about 2.27 lakh.
The chief minister had already announced that he would ensure power supply would be free for farmers throughout the country, as, according to him, the next Central government would be “ours”.
On more than one occasion he said that it was time that the country needed a course correction as the successive governments, with their myopic views, had let natural resources go to waste.
He had said that the country needed to know how to tap the 70,000 tmcft water that flows in Indian rivers.
As the cultivable land in India is about 40 crore acres, 40,000 tmcft would be enough for irrigating the land. and after excluding 10,000 tmcft of water for drinking purposes, the country would still be left with a surplus of 20,000 tmcft.
Before the enhancement of reservations to 10 percent for tribals from the existing 6 percent, the share of total reservations in Telangana was 60 percent, including 10 percent for those from economically weaker sections.
Now that there is an increase for tribals, the total reservation percentage has gone up to 64. It remains to be seen if the new hike in reservations for the tribals would stand judicial scrutiny.
