New Delhi : Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Wednesday asserted that the 42% reservations proposed for Backward Classes (BCs) in the state do not include religion-based quotas for Muslims. Speaking at his official residence in New Delhi, Reddy accused BJP leaders of deliberately misleading the public and obstructing the implementation of the BC reservation policy by invoking the issue of Muslim reservations, reported the Siasat.
He emphasized that the proposed reservation is purely based on backwardness and not religion. “There are no religion-based reservations. Communities like Dudekulas (a Muslim BC group) have been availing BC status in Telangana since 1979,” he clarified.
Hitting out at the BJP’s opposition, Revanth Reddy pointed out that similar BC reservations for Muslim communities exist in several BJP-ruled states, including Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Bihar. “If the BJP is serious about its stand, why hasn’t it removed those reservations in its own states?” he questioned.
He specifically targeted Telangana BJP state president N. Ramchander Rao, accusing him of creating emotional and divisive narratives to derail the 42% reservation agenda. “This is a distraction tactic. The aim is to obstruct social justice,” he said.
The Chief Minister revealed that comprehensive data collected through a caste and socio-economic survey, led by a committee chaired by Justice Sudarshan Reddy, would be presented in the upcoming Assembly session. “BJP MLAs are welcome to raise their objections with facts,” he added.
Revanth Reddy also urged the Centre to pass the two pending Bills related to BC reservations, which the Telangana Assembly has already enacted. He plans to meet Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, as well as MPs from the INDIA bloc, to garner support and pressure the Centre into action.
Additionally, he clarified that a separate ordinance related to the Panchayat Raj Act—aimed at lifting the 50% cap on local body reservations—should not be conflated with the 42% BC reservation initiative.
During his address, Revanth Reddy also brought attention to a striking figure from the caste survey: 3.9% of Telangana’s population declared themselves as having ‘no caste’, highlighting the evolving socio-political identity in the state.
Amid political developments at the national level, Revanth Reddy proposed former Union Minister and ex-Governor Bandaru Dattatreya’s name for the position of Vice President, following Jagdeep Dhankar’s resignation. He argued that the move would acknowledge Dattatreya’s contribution and give BCs a stronger voice in national politics.
Reddy criticized the BJP for sidelining prominent BC leaders in Telangana, such as Venkaiah Naidu, Dattatreya, and Bandi Sanjay, in favor of upper-caste leadership. “If BJP wants to wash away some of its sins, making Dattatreya the Vice President would be a start,” he remarked.
