Telangana's 42% BC Reservation Bill ignites political turmoil

Telangana CM Revanth Reddy noted that Telangana is a leader in social justice and has called the new bill a necessary step to fix past wrongs.

On Monday, the Telangana Assembly passed two important bills that raised the reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) to 42 percent. This decision has sparked strong reactions from various political groups.

The Congress hailed it as a major step forward for social justice, while opposition parties accused them of attempting to gain political advantage and warned of potential legal challenges. This move breaks the long-standing 50 percent cap on reservations. It has triggered a broader discussion about caste-based quotas and their impact on governance, employment, and education in the state and beyond.

The Congress aims to increase the reservation for Backward Classes (BC) to 42% in local body elections, including panchayats and municipalities. Over the past few months, BC groups have pushed the government to act quickly on this.

In Telangana, BC, groups are not united; different dominant castes have their interests and support various political parties. In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the BJP received 42% of the OBC vote, while the Congress got 38%, according to the CSDS Lokniti survey. Telangana has 134 BC castes, but a few have held power for many years. Currently, BCs receive reservations as a group, but Congress promised to create subcategories during the 2023 Assembly elections. We will know if the government keeps this promise once it presents the draft Bill in the Assembly.

Telangana’s Chief Minister, Revanth Reddy, noted that Telangana is a leader in social justice. He called the new bill a necessary step to fix past wrongs. “Telangana is proud to lead the social revolution in India,” he said in a post on X. He described this as a victory for marginalised groups since Independence.

Reddy stated that 56.36 percent of Telangana's population belongs to the Other Backward Classes (OBC). He said that the 42 percent reservation will provide fair chances in education, jobs, and political representation. He urged all opposition parties to join an all-party team to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They aim to push for constitutional changes to legally protect these new reservations.

“I ask Union Ministers Kishen Reddy and Bandi Sanjay to request a meeting with the Prime Minister. I also suggest that we ask Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi to bring this issue up in Parliament,” Reddy said. He tasked TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud to seek Rahul Gandhi’s help.

Most political parties backed the bill, but the Congress government faced criticism.

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC Kalvakunta Kavitha strongly criticised Congress, accusing the party of being hypocritical about OBC welfare. “Didn’t former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ignore the Mandal Commission report for ten years? Didn’t Rajiv Gandhi oppose it in Parliament? And what about the UPA government, which never released the 2011 caste census, despite spending ₹4,500 crore on it? Wasn’t Rahul Gandhi a Member of Parliament then?” she questioned in the Telangana Legislative Council.

She said that Congress has unfairly treated Backward Class (BC) communities and cannot take all the credit for the new initiative.

BJP MLA Payal Shankar raised questions about the reservation policy, especially its legal challenges after the Supreme Court paused the Muslim reservations in Telangana.

“The bill offers 42 percent reservation for BCs, but if some of that is already given to one religion, what will the rest of the BCs receive? The High Court has already canceled these reservations,” he stated. He urged the government to address the legal issues carefully to ensure that BCs get their fair share without facing court troubles.

Shankar also criticised the Congress government's economic management, claiming Telangana has over ₹7 lakh crore in debt. She called on the Chief Minister to act quickly by issuing orders for implementation and ensuring BCs are pretty represented in local bodies and the judiciary.

AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi responded to the BJP by denying claims that reservations for BC Muslims would take opportunities away from Hindu BCs. “These statements are misleading. Reservations for BC Muslims also exist in BJP-ruled states, so why oppose them now?” he asked.

Owaisi advocated for a broader reservation policy, suggesting that Telangana aim for a 79 percent quota to better represent all marginalised groups.

The BC reservation bill passed in Telangana is important for more than just the state. It could spark a national conversation about caste census and reservation policies. With Congress pushing for counting castes as a key political goal, the BJP-led central government may feel pressure to respond.

There are legal concerns, too. The Supreme Court has a rule that limits reservations to 50 percent, and this bill exceeds that limit. If someone challenges it in court, the bill might need a constitutional amendment, which the Telangana government hopes to achieve through political cooperation.

As Telangana takes the lead, the discussion about BC reservations is continuing. With state and national elections coming up, this issue will gain more importance and shape India's approach to social justice.