Telangana BJP President N. Ramchander Rao has squarely blamed the Congress government for the High Court’s interim stay on GO No. 9, which aimed to provide 42% reservations for Backward Classes (BCs) in local body elections. Mr. Rao urged the Congress government to promptly appeal to the Supreme Court and address any legal deficiencies to secure justice for the BC community.
Addressing the media from the State party office on Thursday, Mr. Rao asserted that the Congress government’s apparent lack of commitment and negligence is directly responsible for the current predicament faced by Other Backward Classes (OBCs). He specifically criticized the government for proceeding with the election notification before the Governor had completed the mandated three-month period to review the Bill, which was passed by the Assembly on August 31.
Highlighting Supreme Court guidelines that grant Governors a three-month window to act on bills, Mr. Rao declared that issuing an election notification before this period concludes is legally invalid. He further accused the Congress government of pursuing the BC reservations issue solely for political gain, arguing that their politically-driven approach is ultimately detrimental to BC interests.
Furthermore, Mr. Rao alleged that the Congress is engaging in baseless propaganda by attempting to shift blame onto the BJP. He contended that the State government’s actions reveal a profound lack of legal acumen and strategic thinking. In a striking accusation, the BJP president suggested that the individuals who challenged the 42% BC reservations in the High Court are, in fact, members of the Congress party themselves.
Reaffirming the BJP’s unwavering commitment, Mr. Rao stated that the party fully endorses the 42% reservations for BCs. He cited the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh, which is actively pursuing 57% reservations in the Supreme Court, as clear evidence of the party’s dedication to reservation policies.
Echoing these sentiments, Union Minister of Coal & Mines G. Kishan Reddy issued a separate statement, asserting that the High Court’s stay order is a direct result of the “inefficiency and incompetence” of the Revanth Reddy-led government. He described the Telangana government’s handling of this critical issue as “deeply unfortunate.”
Reddy further criticized the government for allegedly circumventing constitutional procedures and instead resorting to a “Plan B,” presenting what he called “weak and unconvincing arguments” in court. This, he argued, demonstrated a clear lack of seriousness. He concluded by accusing the Congress party of historically manipulating BC issues for political advantage and reiterated the BJP’s strong condemnation of the government’s approach to BC reservations, holding it solely accountable for this legal setback.