Hyderabad: Declaring that welfare and development were irrelevant in the general elections, Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday asserted that the elections were going to be fought between the NDA that wants to change the constitution, and the INDIA bloc that wants to protect it.
He cautioned the SCs, STs, OBCs, and minorities, that every vote in favour of the BJP will take away their reservations.
Addressing the media in Hyderabad, Revanth Reddy asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah to explain their stand on the gazette issued by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on February 21, 2000 on constituting Justice Venkatachalaiah-led panel to review the constitution and recommend changes to the constitution.
“Have you found any fault with the Commission’s recommendations? Why haven’t you taken any action against your RSS ideologues, cabinet ministers and even a speaker, who spoke their views openly about ending the reservations in the past,” he asked.
Pointing out that the BP Mandal Commission was constituted to study reservations and former prime minister VP Singh had adopted its recommendations in 1999, Revanth Reddy asked why the entire RSS’ machinery of the country had waged a movement against the reservations, including BJP stalwart LK Advani, who had held Rath Yatra back then.
Says BJP, RSS oppose reservations
Citing the second RSS Sar Sanghchalak Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar from his book, Revanth said that the former felt that it was unfortunate to see reservations being given to Dalits and other weaker sections and that he envisaged a Hindu state without any rights.
He also cited an RSS philosopher named MG Vaidya, who had said in August 2015, that there was no need for caste-based reservations in India, and that the reservations for SCs and STs could be continued for another 10 years, after which it needed to be abolished.
“Anant Kumar Hegde, who was a cabinet minister in 2017, had also stated that though he had respect for the constitution, in the days to come it will be changed and that leaders like him were there for that purpose itself,” Revanth said, also mentioning former Lok sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan’s apprehensions about reservations acting as an obstruction for the development of the country.
Sensing a conspiracy by BJP in its “400 paar” campaign in the general election, Revanth said that it has been BJP’s plan to get 2/3rd majority in the parliament and get approval from 50 per cent of states, which is the requirement for changing the constitution.
“Had the NDA won the elections in 2004 they would have done what they wanted to do. As RSS will be entering its centenary year in 2025, they will definitely do it if they get absolute majority to do it,” Revanth cautioned, pointing out how BJP has pulled down the state governments in eight states and established its governments by playing unfair politics.
Revanth said that Congress assured BC census only after Congress MP Rahul Gandhi received many representations during his “Bharat Jodo Yatra,” seeking an increase of reservations for the backward sections.
Calls Modi a ‘converted’ BC
Criticising Modi and Shah for declaring that Muslim reservations will be cancelled, Revanth said that there was nothing called religious reservations, and that Muslims were under BC (E) category, and that Dudekulas, a section of Muslims, have been enjoying reservations for quite long now.
“There are Lulu Brothers, Muslim investors from Kerala, who own major slaughterhouses in Gujarat and UP. This is their hypocrisy,” Revanth pointed out.
He also questioned the stand of BJP on its alliance partner TDP in Andhra Pradesh, where its chief N Chandrababu Naidu was promising 4 per cent reservations for Muslims if voted to power there.
Calling Modi “a converted BC,” Revanth said that the former belonged to a “forward caste” before being elected as Gujarat chief minister, and after he took office, his community made its way into the OBC list.
Questioning the kind of politics unfolding in the country, Revanth wondered how the elections to two Lok Sabha segments could be made unanimous, especially at a time when making an election to a gram panchayat’s ward unanimous was a difficult task.
“In 2019 Modi alleged that Manmohan Singh gave Pakistan supari to assassinate him. Can there be a bigger lie,” he asked.
On Amit Shah’s doctored video
Revanth questioned why the complaint on the alleged doctored video was made in Delhi, and not in Telangana, where there were four BJP MPs and many of its leaders.
“Just when I started exposing BJP’s conspiracy to end reservations they though they could intimidate me by sending their police here. They chose the Delhi police because the Centre has direct authority on it. They want to pressurise me, and prevent me from carrying out Congress’ election campaign,” Revanth observed.
“If they think they can intimidate me or my party workers, they should know how Telangana people have responded to such tactics in the recent elections,” he cautioned BJP leaders in Delhi.
Revanth also alleged that the male police officers abused his advocates when they went to submit his reply.
On BJP state president G Kishan Reddy’s accusations against him on the case, Revanth questioned what was the need for him to put out a fake video on Amit Shah, when he was speaking out openly about BJP’s plans to change the constitution and end reservations.
“Shouldn’t there be some commonsense in making accusations,” he asked.
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