Bhatti urges Telangana MPs to push for BC reservation debate in Parliament

Vikramarka urged the MPs to make efforts to have a debate on the BC quota issue in parliament either through an adjournment motion or during the Question Hour.

Hyderabad: Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Thursday held a meeting with MPs from the state and urged them to push for debate in parliament on the 42 per cent BC quota bills passed by the state legislature.

Vikramarka, who convened the meeting on the issues to be raised during the coming Winter Session of parliament, said the Centre should include the state’s BC reservations in the 9th schedule of the Constitution (as it can be shielded from judicial review consequent to the quotas exceeding the 50 per cent cap).

Vikramarka urged the MPs to make efforts to have a debate on the BC quota issue in parliament either through an adjournment motion or during the Question Hour, a release from his office said.

He also told the MPs of different parties to jointly submit a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is also ready to join the MPs if the PM gives time, Vikramarka said.

The Telangana legislature had passed two bills earlier this year to enhance BC reservation to 42 per cent in education, employment, and local bodies.

The bills were forwarded to the Governor and are currently awaiting Presidential assent.

During the meeting, the Deputy CM quoted Revanth Reddy as having said that the MPs should form a team, cutting across party lines, and submit representations to the Prime Minister and Union Ministers on different issues concerning the state.

Vikramarka also said the state government has made arrangements in Delhi to provide comprehensive information to the MPs on any issue.

The meeting was attended by Congress MPs, including Mallu Ravi, Balaram Naik, Suresh Shetkar, Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy, and BJP Lok Sabha member M Raghunandan Rao.

The Congress had promised before the 2023 assembly polls to increase the BC reservations in local bodies to 42 per cent from 23 per cent.