The Congress continued its attack on Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao over reservations to Backward Classes (BCs) in the Panchayat elections and demanded that he call for an all-party meeting on the issue rather than blaming the Congress to cover up his failures.
The Chief Minister takes decisions on crucial issues as per his whims and fancies and once the Courts admonish him he shifts the blame on the Congress, the party leaders said here on Wednesday. They also demanded that a special Assembly session be conducted to make changes to the Panchayat Raj Act if Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao was sincere on his earlier commitments.
‘Not committed’
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Legislative Council Mohd Ali Shabbir, MLC P. Sudhkar Reddy and chief official spokesperson Dasoju Sravan blamed the Chief Minister for the issue landing in courts and said he was still not committed to 54% reservations and arguing to move the Supreme Court for seeking 34% reservations only.
In an informal chat with media persons, Mr. Reddy said the government passed the Panchayat Raj Act suspending the Congress MLAs and Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao did not even take the suggestions from the Congress. How can he now blame the party, he asked adding that why did the Chief Minister even call for an all party meeting on such a crucial issue. Mr. Shabbir Ali wanted to know why the Advocate General was not present in the Court when arguments were on in such an important case. “This reflects the concern the CM has for the BCs,” he said adding that Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao believes in his own law and not the one established by the Constitution.
BC quota hike
Mr. Sravan said the attitude of the Chief Minister reflects his intentions to cheat the small communities among the BCs who fought for separate Telangana expecting political benefits to their communities. He said Congress would wholeheartedly support any effort of the CM to enhance the BC reservations for the Panchayat elections. He reminded that it was the same Chief Minister who declared the population of BCs to be 52% of the State population as per the Intensive House Hold Survey.
He said a MPTC from TRS party in Nagarkurnool district Gopal Reddy moved the court against the BC reservations in Panchayat elections but the Chief Minister was misleading people by citing the name of only Swapna Reddy, who filed a similar petition.