Hyderabad: Telangana BJP chief N Ramchander Rao on Monday accused the Congress of betraying Backward Classes (BCs), saying its upcoming public meeting in Kamareddy is not a celebration but a political stunt.Speaking at a press conference, Rao questioned why only three BC representatives were given cabinet berths. “For justice to the BC community, only a BJP govt can deliver,” he asserted. He criticised the Congress for delaying the implementation of 42% BC reservations. “If the govt truly wanted to help BCs, it would have amended section 285 of the 2018 Panchayati Raj Act through a proper legal process. Instead, Congress has failed to act and blamed the BJP for opposing the reservations,” he said. Rao reminded that without amending the law, the reservations cannot be enforced, especially since the Supreme Court has capped total reservations at 50%. He further highlighted that after 22 months, the Congress govt admitted its error and, following BJP’s advice, recently reintroduced the bill with amendments. “Why the delay? Why weren’t legal experts, including Kapil Sibal, consulted earlier?” he asked. Rao also slammed the govt for postponing local body elections, despite the deadline passing over a year-and-a-half ago. He called the delay outrageous and warned of financial consequences. Because of the postponement, about ₹1,600 crore from the Centre under the 73rd and 74th amendments has been withheld, with stalled central funds totaling nearly ₹3,000 crore. Rao urged the state to act promptly to safeguard the rights and development of BC communities.
