HYDERABAD: The TRS on Tuesday expressed support for the bill envisaging 10 per cent reservation for economically backward sections (EBCs) of privileged castes, but suggested that pending bills seeking 12 per cent and 10 per cent quota for Muslims and Scheduled Tribes respectively be considered first.

Participating in the debate on the Centre’s Bill in the Lok Sabha, TRS floor leader AP Jithender Reddy said, “We support your bill, but the Central government should support bills adopted by the Telangana Assembly in 2017 to provide 12 per cent reservation to Muslims and 10 per cent reservation to STs. I support your bill and urge you to support our bills.”

“India was a golden bird once. It is the failure of successive governments at the Centre that led to several people becoming economically backward after Independence. Providing 10 per cent reservations to economically backward classes will not solve the problem completely,” Reddy said and brought the attention of the Lower House to the bills that the Telangana Assembly had sent for the President’s assent. “In combined Andhra Pradesh, the population of Muslims was 8 per cent and STs 6 per cent. Post bifurcation, the population of Muslims became 12 per cent and STs 10 per cent in Telangana. Telangana proposed reservations to them in jobs and education on socio-economic grounds and not based on caste or religion,” Reddy said.

He recalled that the TRS protested the non-acceptance of the bills several times in the past. “We have been demanding that one nation should have one law, but in Tamil Nadu there is 69 per cent reservation. Despite this, the Centre has not take any action on Telangana’s bills to provide reservation to Muslims and STs,” Reddy pointed out.

Mahbubnagar MP Jithender Reddy on Tuesday demanded the Centre make formulating reservations the prerogative of States. “States should be given the liberty. The subject of reservation should be with State governments and not the Centre,” he reiterated the pink party’s stand.He also cautioned the Central government on legal hurdles in enhancing reservations beyond 60 per cent in the wake of a 50 per cent cap  on total reservations imposed by the Supreme Court.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister and TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao instructed party MPs to request amendments in the Bill providing 10 per cent reservation to EBCs. Rao said the Legislative Assembly had adopted a resolution to provide 12 per cent reservation to backward Muslims and 10 per cent reservation for STs and sent the same to the Centre. “The resolution should be introduced in the Parliament,” he said.