Drawing criticism from various groups in Telangana for a proposal to increase reservations to Muslims in the state to 12%, state minister KT Rama Rao defended the plan on Saturday.
Stating that the proposed quota was not based on religion, KTR said that it was based purely on socio-economic conditions.
“Why is the BJP opposing reservations in a state where 90% people are reeling under socio-economic backwardness. Neighbouring Tamil Nadu is giving 69% reservations over and above the cap fixed by the courts...Telangana is a state where majority sections have been pushed into backwardness for decades and the TRS government is trying to resolve the age-old problem by initiating pro-active measures," KTR was quoted as saying.
"Government will extend support to poor among OCs. We have established a corporation for Brahmins, introduced Kalyana Lakshmi scheme, fee reimbursement for EBCs,” he added.
KTR was addressing the media in an informal meeting, a day after all five BJP legislators in the state were suspended from the Assembly for two days for disrupting the proceedings.
BJP members, including their leader K Laxman, trooped in the well of the house to protest the TRS government's move to increase the reservation for Muslims in the state.
Wearing black scarves and raising slogans against the government, the BJP members demanded that the government drop the proposal to increase the quota for the Muslims.
The TRS government has announced that it will move a bill in the Assembly during the ongoing Budget session to raise the quota for the Muslims in jobs and education from the current 4% to 12%.
Terming the move as "unconstitutional", the BJP had called for 'chalo assembly' (March to Assembly) last Friday. Security had been tightened on all roads leading to the Assembly building to foil any march by the protestors.
There are two issues with the quota proposal: Firstly, the Andhra Pradesh High Court, before the bifurcation of Andhra and Telangana, has ruled that the Muslim quota is unconstitutional.
Secondly, the combined increase in Muslim and ST quotas will take the total reservation in Telangana to over 50%, which is the limit set by the Supreme Court.