As the backward classes organisations in Telangana have been raising a hue and cry over the state high court granting a stay on the implementation of 42% reservations to the BCs in the local body elections, the political parties have joined the chorus obviously with an eye on the elections.
The Congress has also supported the recent statewide bandh by BC organizations, reaffirming its commitment to the 42% quota.
The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi, too, are pitching in to extend support to the BC organisations who have given a call for state bandh on Saturday.
Analysts say the BRS and the BJP extending support to the BC quota is nothing but sheer hypocrisy.
In 2018, during the BRS government led by K Chandrashekar Rao, the state amended reservation rules for Panchayat Raj elections to align with the 50% ceiling, reducing BC representation from around 34% to just about 22%.
At the time, no BRS leader opposed the move publicly, drawing criticism from BC associations and opposition parties for betraying backward classes.
Now, under the Congress government headed by Revanth Reddy, a new Government Order (GO) proposes 42% reservation for BCs in local body elections, alongside the plan to include the same under Schedule IX to ensure legal immunity from judicial scrutiny.
While the high court and Supreme Court have maintained the 50% cap, the Revanth Reddy government appears determined to contest elections with the spirit of extended BC representation, even if not yet legally enforceable.
Political observers note that the BRS and BJP have remained conspicuously silent or evasive.
“The same KCR and KTR who refused BC enumeration now chant ‘Jai BC’ slogans — that’s hypocrisy,” remarked a political analyst.
The BRS faces additional scrutiny for its track record in ignoring the BCs. Etela Rajender, a strong BC leader, was removed as health minister during the COVID-19 crisis and was finally sacked from the party.
The BRS also targeted BC leaders like Bandi Sanjay and Teenmaar Mallanna, who were jailed during its regime. BC Bandhu, a welfare scheme, was viewed as an electoral gimmick. Despite ruling for a decade, BRS made no move toward a national BC census.
Political commentators say this renewed debate exposes not only the fragility of BC representation in Telangana’s politics but also the credibility gap in BRS’s outreach to backward classes.