Backward Classes leaders of the Telangana Congress have demanded fair representation for the downtrodden sections during ticket distribution if the party has to keep up the present momentum.
The BC leaders met at Gandhi Bhavan on Sunday to discuss how to impress upon the party to give them more tickets this time and decided to send a delegation to the AICC leadership, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
Speaking to reporters later, Campaign Committee chairman Madhu Yaskhi Goud, TPCC working president Mahesh Kumar Goud, former PCC presidents Ponnala Lakshmaiah and V. Hanumantha Rao, and former MP Ponnam Prabhakar, among others, said that the party must recognise the BC leaders, given the percentage of votes they would bring in.
Winning elections is based on a lot of factors and BCs have to be accommodated rather than side-lined, citing the winnability factor, they said.
Call for unanimous support
Mr. Yaskhi Goud said that TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy and AICC in-charge Manikrao Thakre have been assuring at least 34 seats for BCs over the last few months during party programmes and they must take it forward. He also reminded that the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) too, discussed this issue several times and there was unanimous support for this.
Mr. Yaskhi Goud, a two-time MP from Nizamabad from 2004–2014, said that it was impossible for any party to ignore BCs and win the elections, as they were numerically strong and the awareness levels were growing. When Telangana was formed, it was expected that the BCs would gain politically but the BRS government dashed their hopes. It was for the Congress to do justice as people have faith in the party, he said.
The Congress leader said that those claiming that winnability and survey reports should be major factors, should remember that without the support of BCs, no one can win. “It has to be reciprocal and to win, all communities must come together,” he said and reminded that even Rahul Gandhi supported OBC reservation in the Women’s Quota Bill and the entire BC community is thankful to him.
