Amid the ongoing controversy between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress over redistribution of wealth, Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy, on Thursday, April 25, alleged that the BJP would cancel reservations for the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) by 2025, if elected to power. He was speaking at Gandhi Bhavan - the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) headquarters - in a programme where a ‘chargesheet’ was released against BJP.
Speaking during the event, Revanth said that the ongoing Lok Sabha elections were a “referendum” on the continuation of reservations and alleged that the BJP was conspiring to cancel them. He further added that the Congress would not only continue the reservation system but also increase OBC reservations based on their population. “I would like to caution SC/STs and OBCs about this. A vote for the BJP would mean that you are voting against your own interests,” Times of India reported him saying.
He further added, “By 2025, RSS [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh] will complete 100 years. If the BJP comes to power, they would cancel SC, ST, OBC reservations just like the RSS wants. Many times, RSS and BJP leaders have commented about reservations. They are trying to win 400 MP seats just to cancel SC, ST, BC reservations.”
However, the BJP has been refuting this claim and accusing Congress of spreading falsehoods about the party. In a public meeting held at Akola of Maharastra on April 23 in support of BJP candidate Anup Dhotre, the Home Minister accused the Congress of running a misinformation campaign that the BJP will change the Constitution if it is voted to power for a third straight term. "The BJP will not change the Constitution. Also, reservations for the SC, ST, and OBC communities will remain intact. No one can remove that. This is PM Modi’s guarantee," Amit Shah said.
The Home Minister also accused the Congress of spreading lies that if the BJP wins 400 seats, it will remove the reservation system. "People gave us a complete majority in 2014 and 2019. Did we abolish reservation? Instead, we used the absolute majority to abolish triple talaq, scrap Article 370, end terrorism, and bring CAA," said Amit Shah.
(With inputs from IANS)