Former Minister, Mohammed Ali Shabbir accused both the TRS government in Telangana and the BJP government at the Centre of misleading the people on the issue of increasing the quota for Scheduled Tribes in the State.
Addressing a press conference here, he condemned the statement of Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Bishweswar Tudu for stating that the Centre did not receive any proposal for enhancement of ST reservations in the State.
He said that the Telangana Assembly and Council unanimously passed a Bill for enhancing the ST quota from existing 6% to 10% on April 16, 2016. Another Bill to enhance the Muslim quota from 4% to 12% was also passed on the same day.
Mr. Shabbir Ali said the TRS government did not follow up with the Centre after passing the Bill in the Legislature. It did not even respond to the letters sent by the Union Ministry of Home seeking clarifications on the enhancement of ST quota, he claimed.
Alleging that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao never wanted to enhance the ST quota, Shabbir Ali showed a clip of debate in the Legislative Council wherein KCR admitted that the Bill being passed in the House would not stand legal scrutiny and it would be sent back.
The Congress leader said that the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension Department of Personnel Training Establishment (Reservation-1) Section addressed four letters to the Telangana government seeking 'details and material' in support of enhancing reservation. Even Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy didn’t respond to the letter he had written to him on October 20, 2019.
Now both the ruling parties are indulging in blame games to divert people's attention. The ongoing 'fight' between the TRS and BJP leaders over the ST quota was bogus and none of them was serious about increasing the reservation for Scheduled Tribes.
