By The Hindu Bureau

Copyright thehindu

The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has termed the Congress Government attempt to provide 42% reservation to Backward Classes in the local bodies’ elections as half-baked without following the due diligence to stand the constitutional/judicial scrutiny and as another ‘drama’ on the lines of failed implementation of six guarantees to betray people.

Reacting to the High Court orders staying the GO 9 issued for giving 42% reservation to BCs in the local bodies’ elections, BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao and senior leader T. Harish Rao said, separately on Thursday, that the judgment had exposed the Congress’ tactics of deception.

For months, they played politics in the name of enhancing BC reservations. The GO they issued was legally untenable. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy deceived the BC community and misled the people of Telangana, they alleged.

They noted that BRS had cautioned the Congress earlier that the GO would not stand judicial scrutiny and the High Court order was proving the BRS views true. The government had used BC reservations only to buy time and mislead voters, they remarked.

Accusing the Congress Government of playing fraud and manipulating from the beginning in the issue, right from conducting the caste census to issuing GO, everything is a lie, Mr. Rama Rao said that every move was filled with deceit with lofty promises made only to divert attention from their failures.

He recalled that the Congress had promised to hold local bodies’ elections only after securing 42% BC reservations but went back on its word repeatedly. Calling the GO a political gimmick, Mr. Rama Rao said the government had issued it only to mislead the public. While the BC Bill was still pending with the President, the Congress resorted to an Ordinance drama. They knew that the GO would not stand legal scrutiny in the court but went ahead for publicity. He accused the government of using the BC reservation issue as a tool to delay the local bodies’ elections, fearing electoral backlash.

Turning to the Centre, Mr. Rama Rao said the BJP Government was equally responsible for betraying BCs by not pursuing for the President’s assent to the legislations passed by Telangana Legislature. Party leaders K.P. Vivekanand, S. Madhusudana Chary, V. Prashanth Reddy, R.S. Praveen Kumar, G. Kamalakar and others too faulted the government for the court staying BC quota GO.