Metro India News | Hyderabad 

Telangana Jagruthi founder and MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha on Tuesday faulted the State BJP leaders for their claim that the bill providing for 42% reservations for BCs cannot be included in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.

She was responding to a statement made by BJP State unit president N Ramachander Rao earlier in the day that it would not be possible to make changes to the Ninth Schedule because the bill was passed without proper judicial vetting. ‘It’s unfortunate that BJP leaders are coming out with such statements. In many northern states, where the BJP stands to gain politically, reservations were provided for beyond the 50% ceiling. They are taking a different stance in regard to Telangana,’ she said.

The bill providing for 42% reservations for BCs in education, employment and public life was passed by the Telangana Assembly a couple of months ago and is currently pending with the President of India for assent. Kavitha pointed out that the BJP has eight MPs in the Lok Sabha, but the benefit to the state from them is ‘Zero.’

She also demanded that Rahul Gandhi, who often speaks about caste census and BC reservations, should raise the issue in Parliament and bring pressure on the Centre to get the bill passed.