BJP is plotting to end reservation policy, claims Revanth Reddy

HYDERABAD: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President and Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy accused the BJP government at the Center of conspiring to end the reservation policy.

The Congress party released a public charge sheet on Thursday at Gandhi Bhavan, outlining the failures of the BJP's decade-long rule.

Addressing the media at the event, Revanth Reddy claimed that if the BJP won the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, it would abolish the reservation policy. He emphasised that if Congress came to power, the reservation policy would continue. He advised those who supported the reservation to vote for Congress, while those who opposed it should vote for BJP.

Revanth Reddy also accused the BJP of implementing the RSS agenda, aiming to abolish reservations for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC). He contended that the BJP aimed to secure a two-thirds majority to facilitate repealing reservation policies. Additionally, he accused the BJP of spreading misinformation about Congress to gain a larger majority in the elections. He reiterated that every vote for the BJP was effectively a vote for the cancellation of reservations. He stated that this election was about "reservation versus cancellation of reservation."

The Chief Minister criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for plunging the country into a debt crisis. According to him, since 2014, the government took loans totalling Rs 113 lakh crores, leading to a national debt burden of Rs 168 lakh crores. He criticised the BJP government for exploiting citizens through a flawed Goods and Services Tax (GST) levied on a wide range of goods, from children's pencils to handloom products. He noted that the Modi government had sold many public sector units to corporate entities, bowing to the influence of companies like Adani and Ambani.

Revanth Reddy mentioned that the price of petrol had more than doubled during the BJP's tenure, rising from Rs 50 to Rs 110. He warned that the country could face economic turmoil if the BJP was re-elected. He also highlighted the government's failure to fulfill its promise of creating 20 crore jobs in ten years, with only 7 lakh jobs created so far. Despite protests by farmers on Delhi's borders for 16 months, the Modi government did not provide guarantees for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops. PM Modi eventually withdrew the controversial farm laws due to public pressure, and he owed an apology to the farmers, he said.

Several prominent Congress leaders, including AICC Secretary Deepadas Munshi, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, and Ministers Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, Konda Surekha, and Poonam Prabhakar, participated in the event.