HYDERABAD: In wake of Centre’s move to provide 10% reservations to Economically backward, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Tuesday directed his party MPs to put forward the demand for reservations Muslims and Scheduled Tribes.
KCR, as Rao is popularly known instructed the TRS MPs to propose the amendment in the Bill when it is taken up in Parliament stating that already the Telangana Assembly had passed a resolution demanding 12% reservations for Muslims and 10% for STs.
“This resolution should be introduced in Parliament,” said a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office, reported News18.
The Telangana Assembly had passed a Bill in 2017 enhancing reservations for backward Muslims and STs in the government jobs and educational institutions. Currently, the reservation for backward Muslims in the State is at 4 per cent and for Scheduled Tribes, it is at 6 per cent.
As the enhancement of quota will take the overall quantum of reservation in the state to over 50 per cent, KCR urged the Centre to include the State legislation into 9th Schedule of the Constitution as was done in the case of Tamil Nadu.
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The Centre has not yet acted on the State’s request.
Both Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had lashed out at KCR in November over the same issue.
While campaigning for the BJP in then poll-bound Telangana, Modi had said he was surprised how the power-hungry were pushing for religion-based quota adding that the great personalities framing the Constitution decided against it in the interest of the country’s unity.
“We reject this, will not support it and will not allow others to implement reservations to communities based on their religion,” Shah had said.
Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan has demanded that half of that quota out of the proposed 10% be reserved for Muslims.
Speaking to News18 in Rampur on Tuesday, the SP leader said, “Muslims should get 5% quota out of the proposed 10% by the central government. The proposed reservation is for economically weaker upper castes, however today the economic, financial and social conditions of Muslims are even worse than Dalits. We had also earlier demanded that Muslims should be brought in the category of Dalits so that they can also get the benefits like them. However, that could not happen due to some political reasons. Now we demand 5% reservation for Muslims in the proposed 10% quota by the central government.”
IANS inputs