BJP creating hurdles for Telangana bill increasing reservations: Congress

The Congress on Sunday, 10 August, accused the BJP of "creating hurdles" for the bill increasing reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, and backward classes to 67 per cent in Telangana from becoming a law, and asked why else would presidential assent be held up for it for over four months.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh claimed that this had exposed the BJP's commitment to social justice.

"On 9 November 2023, the Bihar assembly passed the Bill increasing reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, OBCs, and EBCs to 65 per cent. The Legislative Council did so on 10 November 2023. After the governor gave his assent, the Bill became law formally on 21 November 2023," Ramesh said in a post on X.

The Telangana Assembly passed a Bill increasing reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, and backward classes (BCs) to 67 per cent (of which 42 per cent is reservation for BCs) on 17 March 2025, he said.

"The Legislative Council did so a day later. On 30 March 2025, the governor sent the Bill to the President of India for assent. Over four months have passed and that assent is still awaited," Ramesh pointed out.

The Bihar Act came into being when Nitish Kumar had not yet somersaulted and was heading a JD(U), RJD, and Congress government, he said.

"But given the social realities of Bihar, the BJP was in no position to get the governor to delay or derail assent to the Bill. It is important to note that the governor did not send the bill for presidential assent," he said.

"However, in Telangana, the BJP is certainly creating hurdles, exposing its commitment to social justice. Why else would presidential assent be held up for over four months?" Ramesh said.