The Union government will soon include at least 20 castes from within the Backward Classes (BCs) into the national OBC list and it includes the Lingayat community, with a public hearing already conducted by the National Commission for BCs in New Delhi, informed Rajya Sabha MP and national BJP OBC Morcha president K. Laxman on Thursday.
“This has been a long standing demand, but the government here has been sitting on the recommendation under the guise of technical and legal issues. But, our party has taken a delegation of these caste groups to Delhi and got them a hearing from the NCBC chairman Hansraj Ahir. Soon, there will be a notification. We will also help the remaining castes,” he declared.
Talking to the media after inducting Lingayat leader V. Eshwarappa, former BRS MLA A. Mohan and others into the party, Mr. Laxman accused Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Revanth Reddy of showing “sudden love” towards the BCs only because of the elections.
“The Congress Party from Nehru onwards has been against caste-based reservation and did not bother to give constitutional status to NCBC till Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power. Even Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and KTR have no moral right to seek BC votes for neglecting them in the last 10 years,” he said.
It was the Modi Government which had paved the way for reservation for BCs in higher educational institutions, Sainik schools, Navodaya schools and public sector undertakings with four lakh students getting the benefit annually, pointed out Mr. Laxman.
Union Minister for Tourism, Culture and Development of Northeast Region, G. Kishan Reddy, also the TS BJP president claimed that there was a visible change in political scenario in the State in favour of the BJP ever since the election notification had been issued.
“We will shut down belt shops and will crush the mafia in irrigation projects and the liquor mafia after we come to power,” he asserted. National general secretary Bandi Sanjay Kumar alleged that there was a “tussle for the leadership” within the family of KCR and the Congress was totally dependent on KCR in selection of candidates.
