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Telangana Congress leaders led by Chief Minister ARevanth Reddy will stage a dharna in New Delhi on Wednesday, August 6, demanding Presidential Assent for the Backward Classes reservation bills passed by the state legislature.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy left for the national capital in the afternoon on August 5.
Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, ministers, MPs, MLAs, MLCs and other leaders will participate in the day-long dharna at Jantar Mantar. Some ministers and key leaders have already left for the national capital, while others are likely to reach by Tuesday evening.
Backward Classes Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, Panchayat Raj Minister Seetakka, some MLAs and leaders of BC organisations were among those who left for Delhi.
Ponnam Prabhakar told media persons, as per the promise made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to make Telangana a role model for social justice, the state government conducted a caste survey.
Minister Prabhakar said based on the data gathered during the caste survey, two Bills were drafted and passed by the state Legislature to enhance BC reservation in education, employment and local bodies to 42%.
The BC Welfare Minister said though the Bills were sent to the Union government in March, they were yet to get the Presidential assent.
Prabhakar said the BJP supported the Bills in the Assembly, but after they were sent to Delhi, it started obstructing them in the name of Muslims’ inclusion among BCs.
He reiterated the call to leaders of all political parties and all those who aspire for social justice to join the protest in Delhi.
AICC in-charge of state affairs, Meenakshi Natarajan, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president B Mahesh Kumar Goud, were among the leaders who left by a special train on Monday.
According to Congress sources, 25 leaders from each district have left for the national capital.
The Congress party has announced a three-day protest in Delhi to press the demand for Presidential assent for the two Bills passed by the state legislature in March to enhance reservation for BCs to 42% in education, employment and local bodies.
Congress MPs from the state on August 5 gave notice for an adjournment motion in Parliament to demand a debate on the BC quota bills.
After the dharna, the Chief Minister and other senior leaders will seek an appointment with President Droupadi Murmu on August 7 to submit a memorandum regarding the pending bills.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, are likely to seek an audience with the President on the same issue.