New Delhi [India], August 6 (ANI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday called on President Droupadi Murmu to grant assent to Telangana’s reservation bills, which seek to provide 42 percent reservation to backward classes in education, employment, and local governance.
Taking to social media platform X, Gandhi described the push for the legislation as a “collective fight” for social justice and a constitutional mandate. “The Telangana Government and Congress sat on a dharna in Delhi today, demanding that the President assent to the law reserving 42% for backward classes in education, employment and local government. This law is a major advance towards the Constitution’s vision of social justice, grounded in data from the caste census,” he posted.
Top leaders of the ruling Congress in Telangana, including state ministers, gathered at Jantar Mantar in Delhi to press the Centre to approve the bills that have been passed by the State Assembly but are pending presidential assent.
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, who joined the protest, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being “anti-OBC” and alleged that the President was being pressured not to meet the state’s leaders. “Sadak se lekar sansad tak, ladiya jaari hai (From the street to the Parliament, the fight is on). We are demanding that 42 percent reservation in education, employment, and political representation in local bodies be approved. We had sought an appointment with the President but have not been granted one,” the CM said.
He further claimed that both PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are obstructing the process. “I think PM Modi and Amit Shah are pressuring the President not to give appointments to people from Telangana. Now, we all—MLAs, MPs, and rural citizens—have come to Delhi. We are pro-OBC, Rahul Gandhi is pro-OBC, but Narendra Modi is anti-OBC,” he added.
Other leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Minister G Vivekanand, echoed similar sentiments during the protest. Vikramarka explained that the bill had been passed in the Assembly and submitted to the Governor, and was now awaiting the President’s nod. “We are requesting the Centre and the President to clear the Bill so that a 42 percent reservation can be implemented in the upcoming local body elections,” he told ANI.
Minister Vivekanand emphasized that the bill is essential for promoting social equity. “This is our just demand. As Rahul Gandhi has stated, social justice is essential for this country. In line with this principle, we have included it in our manifesto and passed it in the Assembly. Now, we urge the Central government to grant an exemption and ensure that this 42 percent reservation receives the President’s approval,” he stated.
Meanwhile, in Hyderabad, BRS MLC K. Kavitha has been on a 72-hour hunger strike since Monday at Dharna Chowk, also demanding urgent clearance of the bill.
The Telangana OBC Reservation Bill seeks to increase the quota for backward classes in local body elections to 42 percent, aligning it with their demographic representation and addressing long-pending demands for equitable political participation.
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