OBCs Demand 33% Quota in Parliament, Assemblies

HYDERABAD: Leaders from the Backward Classes (BCs), who hold various positions as chairpersons of state government corporations, have called upon the Centre to immediately implement a 33 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in both Parliament and state legislatures. They have also urged the Centre to introduce a Bill providing reservations for OBCs during the ongoing special session of Parliament.

The meeting, chaired by TS Tourism Corporation chairman Gellu Srinivas Yadav, saw the participation of BC Commission chairman Vakulabharanam Krishna Mohan Rao and chairpersons of various corporations and institutions, including Allam Narayana, V. Prakash, E. Anjaneya Goud, Juluru Gowri Shankar, Balaraj Yadav, Anil Kurmachalam, Gosula Srinivas Yadav, Pittala Ravinder, and others.

The BC leaders have additionally called on the Centre to conduct an enumeration of BCs across the country. They have vowed to escalate their agitation if the Centre fails to pass the OBC Reservations Bill in Parliament.

These BC leaders acknowledged that the BRS government, led by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, recognised the importance of providing reservations to women and OBCs in Parliament and state legislatures shortly after taking office in 2014. They pointed out that the BRS government passed resolutions seeking reservations for women and OBCs and referred them to the Centre for approval. However, they expressed frustration that the BJP-led Central government has not acted on these issues for the past nine years, despite Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao's recent letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding OBC quotas, which has received no response.