Hyderabad, April 17 (PTI): The opposition BJP on Monday dubbed as “trash” the bill passed by the TRS government to increase reservation for backward sections among Muslims and held protests in Hyderabad and elsewhere in Telangana against it.
BJP state president K Laxman told reporters that they would intensify their opposition and take up a long term agitation against the bill.
Laxman, BJP national general secretary P Muralidhar Rao and other leaders led the protests at different places. He said the party would take up fast from morning till noon on April 20 in all mandals of the state against the bill and other issues.
BJP spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao earlier told PTI that the bill has no legal and constitutional sanctity.
“Religion cannot be a basis for reservations and legally it’s not viable as both the high court and the Supreme Court have capped the reservation at 50 per cent,” Rao said.
He said the local BJP unit would go to court and challenge the Bill.
The Telangana legislature on Sunday passed a bill which raises the reservation for the backward sections of Muslims and scheduled tribes, taking the total quota in the state jobs and educational institutions to 62 per cent from 50 per cent.
Laxman alleged that the ruling TRS is indulging in vote bank politics by trying to appease Muslims and doing injustice to backward classes and STs in the process.
The TRS had promised three per cent quota for persons with disabilities but there was no mention about it in the bill, he said.
