BRS leader B. Vinod Kumar.
| Photo Credit: By Arrangement
HYDERABAD
No one in Telangana, except for a few leaders of the ruling Congress, believed in the GO 9 issued by the State government to conduct the local bodies elections with enhanced (42%) reservation to Backward Classes, senior leader of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and former MP B. Vinod Kumar said.
The BCs across Telangana were of the view that the Revanth Reddy government in the State did not enhance the reservation for local bodies elections with sincerity as Mr. Reddy had himself stated that people would always be ready to be deceived/betrayed and it was proved with the High Court staying in the implementation of GO 9 on Thursday, Mr. Vinod Kumar said here on Friday.
Addressing a press conference along with party general secretary S. Bharat Kumar and C. Kalyan, he faulted Deputy Chief Minister M. Bhatti Vikramarka for criticising the BRS along with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the BC reservation issue. Mr. Vinod Kumar reminded Mr. Vikramarka that the previous K. Chandrasekhar Rao government too had adopted BC reservation bills and sent them for the President’s assent in the past and action on them was still pending.
The BRS leader pointed out that the Congress had got the Constitution amended when the post (Prime Minister) of Indira Gandhi was under threat. “When the Congress could get the Constitution amended for one individual, why was it not making any attempt for a similar action in case of the BC reservation,” he said.
The Supreme Court had made it clear in the past too, in the Krishnamurthy case, that increase in BC quota was not possible without amending the Constitution. The Congress which was in power at the Centre then did not go for the Constitutional amendment. When AICC leader Rahul Gandhi could hug Prime Minister Narendra Modi on trivial issues, why was he not doing so for the enhancement of BC reservation, Mr. Vinod Kumar sought to know.
Neither Mr. Gandhi nor AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge had spoken in favour of the BC reservation enhancement in Parliament so far, Mr. Vinod Kumar said adding that the enhanced quota was still very much possible if Mr. Gandhi took up the matter with Mr. Modi. He pointed out that 69% reservation for BCs in Tamil Nadu was for education and employment and not for the local bodies.
Published – October 10, 2025 07:56 pm IST
