A forum comprising 28 backward classes bodies and 112 caste associations in the State has requested 37 political parties to support the Private Member’s Bill seeking reservation to backward classes (BCs) in Parliament.
The bill was introduced by YSR Congress party along with a few other parties in Rajya Sabha on Friday. At a meeting of the forum led by National Backward Classes Welfare Association held here on Sunday, the speakers asked the parties, particularly DMK, AIADMK, PMK, RJD, SP, BSP and Apna Dal, who claim themselves as the parties of backward classes, to rally behind the Bill. They also sought the support of parties including BJP, Congress, TRS, JD, SAD, TDP and others.
Speaking at the meeting president of the association R. Krishnaiah stated that he had written letters to the 37 parties separately seeking their support to the Bill. Complimenting YSR Congress MP V. Vijya Sai Reddy for moving the bill he suggested 92 other MPs from the BC communities in Parliament to learn from Mr. Reddy and support the Bill cutting across the party lines.
BC Prime Minister
Stating that BJP was the only party in country to have chosen Prime Minister from a BC community so far, Mr. Krishnaiah felt that it was the responsibility of the same party now to support the Bill to provide 50% reservation to the BC communities in law-making bodies, education and employment across the country.
The BC Welfare Association had been leading the movement seeking 50% quota to BCs in law-making bodies for the last 30 years, held talks with different Prime Ministers on 40 occasions and approached every political party requesting them to introduce a Bill, Mr. Krishnaiah said adding that it was time the parties which talk about BCs to prove their sincerity by supporting the Bill.
The meeting also requested Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to take the initiative to get the Bill passed in Parliament. Citing statistics collected in 2011, Mr. Krishnaiah stated that representation of BCs did not cross even 14% in the political arena although they comprised 56% of the population. Of the 29 States, there was no BC MP from 16 States now and none from 2,600 BC castes and 2,550 sub-castes did not step into Parliament so far.
Leaders of other BC associations including G. Krishna, L. Venkatachary, Srinivasulu, R. Laxman Yadav, Sangameshwar, V. Venkatesh, Srinivas, G. Mallesh, Upender Goud, Srinivas Yadav, Pruthvi Goud, Bikshapathi, Ramadevi and several others spoke.