Harish Rao challenges Congress to take BC quota battle to Delhi

BRS senior leader T. Harish Rao has come down heavily on the ruling Congress government in Telangana, accusing it of once again misleading Backward Classes (BCs) - this time in the name of 42% reservations in local body elections. He alleged that, just like the so-called “six guarantees” before the assembly elections, the Congress is now staging a fresh drama ahead of the local polls.

Empty promises through Kamareddy Declaration

Harish Rao recalled that before the elections, the Congress had promised 42% reservations for BCs in local bodies through the Kamareddy Declaration. However, after coming to power, the government is trying to water down that commitment. “If Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is truly sincere about BC empowerment, he should stop this empty gesture of issuing G.O. No. 9 and instead fight with the Ce ntre to make the 42% reservation legally valid,” Harish Rao demanded.

The BRS leader questioned why the Congress, despite ruling the country for 55 years, had never taken genuine steps to ensure adequate BC reservations. “To go beyond the 50% ceiling set by the Supreme Court, Parliament must amend the law and include it in the Ninth Schedule. The Chief Minister knows this very well, yet he’s deliberately avoiding it,” Harish Rao alleged. He said instead of fighting in Delhi, the Congress is “pretending to fight in the streets of Telangana” just to create an illusion of commitment.

“Mr. Revanth Reddy, stop your political theatre,” Harish Rao said. “If you are really committed to BCs, then take this fight to Delhi. Push for a constitutional amendment in Parliament and include the 42% quota in the Ninth Schedule.” He added that BRS is ready to join any all-party struggle in Delhi to achieve this goal and reaffirmed that the party will always stand by the BC community.

Legal setback fuels doubts

Recently, the Telangana High Court stayed the implementation of G.O. No. 9, which proposed 42% reservations for BCs, and adjourned the case for six weeks. BRS leaders said this development exposes the Congress’s lack of sincerity and proves that the government’s actions were purely election-driven gimmicks.

“This entire episode shows that the Congress never intended to genuinely uplift BCs - it only wanted electoral mileage,” the BRS concluded.