Decode Politics: Why Congress Telangana govt promise of 42% quota for Backward Classes in local polls not easy

What did the Congress promise and why?

In the lead-up to the November 2023 Assembly polls, Revanth Reddy – then the Telangana Congress chief, and now Telangana Chief Minister – signed a “Kamareddy declaration”. The document promised to increase the existing 23% reservation for Backward Classes to 42% in local bodies based on a caste survey within six months of assuming power. It also promised sub-categorisation of Backward Classes  reservations in local bodies.

The declaration, signed in the presence of Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, was dubbed as a political masterstroke and is often attributed as a key reason for the Congress coming to power in Telangana by consolidating the Backward Classes – which make up over 50% of the state’s population – in favour of the party.

So the Revanth Reddy government is just keeping its promise?

Since assuming power, the Revanth Reddy government has been haunted by the “Kamareddy declaration” and has been buying time to implement it saying that only a caste survey can lead to adequate reservation for the Backward Classes.

Last week, the government finally tabled the interim report of a caste survey it had conducted in the House. With the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and BJP raising the heat on the CM, the Congress also reiterated its promise to allot 42% of seats to Backward Classes in the upcoming local body polls.

However, the government has faced flak, especially from community leaders, including BJP Rajya Sabha MP R Krishnaiah, who has accused the Congress government of “undercounting” the community and claimed that Backward Classes actually amount to 61% of the state’s population.

To stem this line of attack, the Congress government has once again shifted its focus to the “Kamareddy declaration”.

Will the Congress’s Backward Classes quota move see the light of day?

While Vikramarka exuded confidence that the Bill will sail through as the Congress has a strength of 64 in the 117-member House, implementing it would breach the Supreme Court-mandated 50% reservation ceiling and take reservations in Telangana up to 62%.

“Thus, implementing the quota would require a Constitutional amendment and the Centre’s nod. However, with the Congress having little say in the NDA government at the Centre, the Bill is likely to face some hurdles,” a legal expert said.

Have any other states tried to implement quota?

Last year, the Bihar Assembly passed a Bill which increased reservations for Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), taking the overall quota from 50% to 65%.

The Patna High Court in July last year struck down the move while the Supreme Court, a month later, refused to stay the High court’s decision observing that the Bihar government’s move would interfere with the right to equality granted by the Constitution.

How is the move likely to play out politically?

A delay in implementing reservations for Backward Classes would likely result in the postponement of local body polls, scheduled to be held in February. The delay in the conduct of the polls will provide ammunition to the BRS as well as the BJP to target the ruling Congress.

On the national level, the Congress may be able to put the Centre in a spot and can claim that the BJP is against reservations for Backward Classes as well as the caste census if the NDA government is seen as being opposed to the Reddy government’s move to implement the quota in Telangana.