Leaders of the Backward Classes (BC) have issued a strong demand for the Telangana government to implement 42% reservations for their community in the upcoming local body elections. Addressing the ‘BC Rajakiya Yudhabheri’ public meeting at the Arts and Science College grounds in Hanumakonda, Rajya Sabha member and National BC Association president R. Krishnaiah, along with former chairman of the Telangana BC Commission Vakulabharanam Krishna Mohan Rao, warned of large-scale agitations if their demands were not met.
The Congress party had promised an increase in reservations through its Kamareddy BC Declaration ahead of the state elections. The gathering, attended by representatives of various BC caste associations, urged the state government to conduct the local body elections only after completing the caste survey in full. They pointed out that several households, particularly in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and other urban areas, were yet to be covered.
With the process of implementing reservations already in motion, the Congress-led state government has scheduled a special session of the Legislative Assembly on February 7 to approve the socioeconomic, education, employment, political, and caste survey report. According to The Hindu, R. Krishnaiah called for firm action to resolve legal challenges and ensure reservations for BCs. He urged the Backward Classes to unite for their economic and political empowerment, emphasizing the need for continued agitation to pressure both the State and Central governments.
He further accused the upper castes of depriving BCs of political power even 76 years after India's independence. Echoing similar concerns, Krishna Mohan Rao urged the Congress government to file a review petition in the Supreme Court, presenting the latest caste survey data to seek permission for exceeding the 50% reservation cap imposed by the court, as reported by The Times of India.
Additionally, he alleged that the state government had tampered with BC caste census data and warned against any move to deny BCs their rightful reservations in the local body elections. BC leaders cautioned the government about potential unrest if their community’s fair share in employment and political representation was ignored.
Meanwhile, other speakers at the meeting appealed to BC voters to ensure the victory of BC candidates in the upcoming Teacher and Graduate MLC elections. The community's leaders remain steadfast in their demand for justice, signaling a period of intensified political action if their reservations are not implemented as promised.