Hyderabad: AICC spokesperson and senior Congress leader Dasoju Shravan warned Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao of severe backlash from Other Backward Classes (OBCs) if Government does not conduct a caste census to ascertain the OBCs population and provide reservations accordingly in the upcoming Municipal Corporations elections.
Saying that TRS Government has been betraying OBCs through political trickery, Congress leader Dasoju Shravan demanded conducting the OBCs census through BC Co-operative Finance Corporation and also implement OBC categorization even in elections alike in education and employment spheres.
“TRS government is betraying OBCs through political trickery. In the Panchayath Raj Act brought out in 2018, Govt announced 34 percent reservations for OBCs to woo them. But the same government has obstructed the implementation of these reservations in Panchayath Raj elections by adopting sly tactics.
. @INCTelangana demands the #TRS Govt @TelanganaCMO to Conducting – BC Voters’ Survey and implement #BC categorisation as in the case of Karnataka in the forthcoming Municipal Corporations’ Elections.@manickamtagore @UttamTPCC @rssurjewala @ANI pic.twitter.com/SDZOE2ITFz
— Dr Sravan Kumar Dasoju (@sravandasoju) October 12, 2020
A Gopal Reddy, a TRS leader, approached the High Court against 34 percent reservations for OBCs, saying that it will breach a 50 percent cap on reservations rule. The Telangana Government announced that it will approach the Supreme Court to ensure 34 percent reservations, but did not even fight in the case.
As a result, OBCs have lost opportunities in the Panchayath Raj elections. Telangana Government is once again trying to deceive OBCs in Municipal Corporations elections and called for a Special Assembly Session to make amendments to GHMC Act. But now we are warning CM K Chandrashekar Rao that, OBCs we will launch a mass agitation against TRS Government if it goes ahead to conduct Municipal Corporation elections without taking up the OBC voters survey and categorization,” said Congress leader said, speaking at Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad on Monday.
As Government is holding a special session of Assembly on October 13 and special session of Council on October 14, Dasoju Shravan said, “Telangana state was formed with sacrifices of SCs, STs, OBCs and Minorities. It was the people from downtrodden sections who sacrificed their lives for the separate state, believing that their lives will become better and social justice will be achieved.
Another important feature of Telangana state is more than 90 percent of people belong to SC, ST, OBC, and Minorities sections. BCs form more than half of the population with a 52 percent share in the total population of the state.
Just because your Government has majority you cannot bulldoze and suppress aspirations of downtrodden sections. Opinions of all the stakeholders should be taken before making amendments to the GHMC Act in Assembly. A scientific survey of OBC voters has to be done before conducting elections for Hyderabad, Warangal, and Khammam Municipal Corporations elections. Or else Government has to get ready for the backlash from OBCs in Telangana.”
“Not just the OBC census, but there is an urgent need for even categorization of OBCs. There are about 113 OBC communities in Telangana. Among them, about 100 castes did not even get any political representation until now. They have not even become sarpanches or ward members. Only a few OBC communities have been enjoying reservation benefits. I want to clarify that there is no word like ‘BC.’
You can only say BC-A, BC-B, BC-C, BC-D, BC-E. If the downtrodden sections have to get representation in political activity and the true spirit of democracy has to be achieved, then OBC categorization has to be done and reservations provided accordingly,” further said AICC spokesperson Dasoju Shravan, raising his voice for OBC categorization.
Dasoju Shravan cited the example of neighboring state Karanataka in case of OBC categorization and urged the Telangana government to follow the same model in ensuring justice for OBCs.
