Power of increasing quota should be entrusted to States, says KCR

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has demanded that the Centre should hand over the powers of deciding the reservation quota to the State and amend the constitution. He asked why even after 70 years after independence the States have to depend on the Centre in such matter.

Addressing a Press conference in Hyderabad he said that to deal with the Supreme Court’s bar on more than 50 percent quota the Centre can amend the constitution.

He said that despite several States demanding the powers on reservation, the Centre was bent upon continuing its monopoly to pressurise the States.

KCR raised in the issue as a Bill passed by Telangana legislature increasing the quota for the Scheduled Castes and the Backward sections of Muslim minority was pending before the Centre amid indications that the Centre was not inclined to give its nod.

He said that this was one of the several other issues on which the Telangana Government has not received any response from the Centre despite his repeated representations to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

KCR asked his party MPs to raise all the pending issues and projects in the Parliament which will be reconvened on Monday.

The list of such issues include Bayyaram steel plant, railway coach factory at Kazipet,  All India Institute of Medical Sciences, IIM, increase in industrial incentives, NTPC and power sharing with neighboring Andhra Pradesh and funds for Mission Bhagiratha for drinking water supply and the Mission Kakatiya for the irrigation sector.

Significantly KCR also came out forcefully in support of Special Category Status for Andhra Pradesh.

“When the Prime Minister promised the special category status he should fulfil it.  Why should the people of the State and parties suffer. This confusion should end”, he said. “If he doesn’t want to give it then he should clearly he say so”.