Hyderabad: BRS (Bharat Rashtra Samithi) leaders today alleged that despite a month having passed since the BC Reservations Bill was put forth, the Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s government has made no honest effort to ensure its passage by the President, thereby jeopardising the implementation of reservations in upcoming local body elections.

Addressing a press conference, senior leader V Srinivas Goud stated that while the entire country is discussing the backwardness of Other Backward Classes (OBC) communities, and the Central government has even agreed to a caste census, creating an atmosphere where OBCs might gain reservations in legislative assemblies, “God knows about reservations in the legislative Assemblies, but doubts are hovering over the 42 per cent reservation in the local elections in the state.” He questioned the fate of the ordinance which did not receive approval from the Governor, and the Bills with the President in Delhi, remarking on the Chief Minister’s previous “boasting” in the capital.

The BRS leader alleged it was clear that both Congress and BJP were “enacting dramas” purely for BC votes. He argued that reservations for BCs would not increase unless they were included in the Ninth Schedule, and accused the BJP of blocking the increase in BC reservations by using Muslim reservations as an excuse. He challenged this stance, asking if Muslims were not given reservations in BJP-ruled states or included in EWS (Economically Weaker Section) reservations. Srinivas Goud reminded that Revanth Reddy, when in opposition, had stated that reservations were not under the state’s jurisdiction and that any attempt to increase them locally would lead to imprisonment. “Why did Revanth Reddy stop the reservation increase ordinance from the Governor?” he questioned.

Srinivas Goud further alleged that Revanth Reddy was not making any genuine efforts with the Centre for the approval of BC Bills. He demanded that the Chief Minister and ministers should travel to Delhi to secure approval for the BC Bills and return to Hyderabad only after their passage. He warned that BCs are “not ready to be deceived by Congress and BJP once again.” Questioning the Congress leaders who celebrated when the ordinance was sent to the Governor, he asked, “What will they say now?” Goud added, “If an all-party delegation is taken to Delhi, we will come. They are not doing that work.”

Former MLA D Vinay Bhaskar reiterated that the Congress party had made many promises to the BCs during the elections, yet they were not even carrying out the necessary actions for BCs within the state government. “As stated in the Congress manifesto, we should go to the local elections only after giving 42 per cent reservation to the BCs,” he asserted. He concluded that they would increase pressure on the government, alongside BC associations, to secure these reservations. Balaraju Yadav, K Kishore Goud, Shubhprad Patel, and Gautam Prasad were also present at the press conference.