Hyderabad, Feb 9 (UNI) BRS Working President KT Rama Rao (KTR) accused the Congress government of deceiving Backward Classes (BCs) by underestimating their population by five and a half percent.
Speaking at a BC leaders' meeting held at Telangana Bhavan on Sunday, KTR alleged that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy-led government had failed to uphold its promise of providing 42 percent reservations for BCs.
He stated that the BRS party had protested this issue in both the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council.
KTR dismissed the caste census conducted by the Congress government, calling it "equivalent to a scrap of paper.
" He alleged that the survey was flawed and had effectively denied recognition to 22 lakh people. "With this survey, Congress has cut the throats of weaker sections, and no BC child will accept this," he said.
The BRS party, led by Madhusudana Chari and Talasani Srinivas Yadav, presented its concerns in the Assembly, demanding a scientifically conducted resurvey.
KTR warned that the flawed caste census could negatively impact BCs and Most Backward Classes (MBCs), reducing their share in government welfare schemes, ration cards, housing allotments, and the six guarantees promised by the Congress government.
Criticising the Congress party, KTR likened its stance to "Ulta Chor Kotwal Ko Dante" (the thief blaming the watchman). He accused the ruling party of misrepresenting the BC population data collected during KCR’s tenure as Chief Minister.
He also pointed out that Congress had made grand promises in Kamareddy under the BC Declaration, including the implementation of 42 per cent reservations for BCs, allocation of Rs 1 lakh crore for BC welfare through a BC sub-plan as promised by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and awarding 42 per cent of government contracts to BCs.
However, KTR alleged that despite these promises, the Congress government had not allocated even 15 paise for BC welfare over the past year. "They claimed they would establish new corporations for BC castes with a budget of ₹50 crore each, but they haven’t even allocated 50 paise," he added.
Calling the Congress government’s caste census "unscientific and irrelevant," KTR demanded that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy apologize to BCs for reducing their population estimates.
He also pointed out that even a Congress MLC had dismissed the survey as meaningless. The BRS leader insisted that a resurvey be conducted with full participation from all sections of society.
"This time, we will actively take part in the census and provide all necessary details. The government must immediately order a resurvey," he asserted. Furthermore, KTR criticized Congress for failing to pass a bill on BC reservations in the previous Assembly sessions. "We expected a bill, but instead, they only provided vague assurances," he said.
KTR highlighted that the BRS was the only party to give more than 50 percent of its tickets to BCs in both Assembly and Parliament local elections. In the previous Parliament elections, BRS fielded BC candidates in six constituencies.
He accused Congress of failing to honour its promise of allotting 34 Assembly seats to BCs, ultimately giving them only 19 seats—five of which were in the old city. "In contrast, the TRS (now BRS) ensured BCs got 34 seats without making grand promises. We do not need anyone's certificates to prove our commitment to BCs," he stated.
KTR announced that from February 10, the BRS would launch a statewide awareness campaign about the injustice being done to BCs. The campaign will include meetings at the constituency, mandal, and district levels.
He also hinted at future protests and political action if the Congress government refuses to fulfill its 42 percent reservation promise before local body elections. "We have extensively discussed our next steps, and we will report to KCR before announcing our course of action," he said.
KTR challenged the Congress party, questioning why a constitutional amendment could not be made to ensure justice for BCs.
"If Indira Gandhi could amend the Constitution to abolish the Mulki Rules, why can’t a similar amendment be made for BCs?" he asked. From tomorrow, BRS will begin holding small-scale meetings, press conferences, and grassroots campaigns to expose the Congress government's failures on BC welfare.
UNI VV BD