Hyderabad: The Telangana delegation, headed by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, returned from Delhi without meeting President Droupadi Murmu.Despite their efforts to secure an appointment to push for the approval of the pending 42 per cent BC (Backward Classes) quota Bills and an ordinance, Rashtrapati Bhavan did not confirm the President’s availability. The delegation waited until 4 pm on Thursday in the hope of securing an appointment but was left disappointed. Addressing a press conference in Delhi on Thursday evening, Revanth Reddy expressed his displeasure at the President’s office for not granting an appointment, describing the situation as “unfortunate and painful,” and calling it a “humiliation” to the people of Telangana. Revanth Reddy said that the state government had requested an appointment nearly 10 days ago, stating its availability in Delhi between August 5 and 7. Even on August 7, the final day of the visit, no confirmation was received, leading to heightened frustration among state leaders. Revanth Reddy alleged that the BJP had deliberately blocked the President’s appointment for the Telangana delegation by falsely portraying Telangana’s 42 per cent BC quota as a “Muslim quota.” He clarified that the Telangana government’s BC quota was based on the backwardness of BC communities, determined by criteria such as educational, employment, and political underrepresentation in local bodies — with no reference to religion. Referring to the BJP’s stance on Muslim reservations, the Chief Minister noted that BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra had extended reservations to Muslims based on social and educational backwardness within certain Muslim communities, not on religious grounds. He challenged the BJP to first abolish Muslim reservations in those states before opposing Telangana’s approach. Revanth Reddy also questioned whether minorities were being excluded from political leadership in the country, emphasising that the Telangana government would continue to fight for the 42 per cent BC quota. He remarked that if the Central government had any objection to Muslims receiving reservations, it could pass OBC reservation legislation excluding Muslims within two days in Parliament. “Our stand is to provide reservations to all BCs, irrespective of religion. Let the BJP make its stand clear — does it treat BC reservations as Muslim reservations?” Revanth Reddy said. “We will continue our fight, making all possible efforts to secure the 42 per cent BC quota in the coming days,” he added, signalling the government’s determination to press ahead with the demand.
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