BC leaders meet CS over quota in panchayat polls

Hyderabad: Members of the Backward Communities Welfare Association and BC leaders belonging to various political parties on Friday met the chief secretary S.K. Joshi to raise the issue of the state government Ordinance reducing their reservation in Panchayat Raj elections to 23 per cent from 34 per cent. 

The leaders submitted a memorandum to the chief secretary in which the association demanded that the government approaches the court in through the right channel and takes steps for providing 34 per cent reservations to backward communities in the upcoming panchayat elections. The association also requested that the panchayat elections be held back until 34 per cent reservations are restored. 

Congress senior leader V. Hanumantha Rao, Ponnala Laxmaiah, Telangana Telugu Desam president L. Ramana and BJP state president Dr K. Laxman were among those who met the chief secretary. 

Mr Hanumantha Rao said, “The BC leaders will continue their fight against the government on the issue of the reservations. Instead of increasing the BC reservations in the local bodies, the government has cut down the existing reservations too. I will visit Delhi and meet AICC leaders to fight for the BC reservations in Telangana.”