SC Verdict Exposes Naidu’s Failure to Protect BC Quota: YSRCP
YSRCP leaders slam CM Chandrababu Naidu, claiming the Supreme Court verdict proves his failure to secure the promised 34% BC reservation in local elections.
The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) has launched a scathing attack on Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, alleging that a recent Supreme Court verdict has laid bare his administration's inability to safeguard the Backward Classes (BC) quota. The opposition party claims the government failed to establish a legally sustainable framework to ensure the promised 34 per cent reservation in local-body elections.
Allegations of Broken Promises
Former ministers Chelluboyina Venugopala Krishna and Dharmana Prasada Rao stated that the Naidu government had explicitly promised a 34 per cent reservation for Backward Classes in its election manifesto. However, they argued that the government proceeded without addressing the legal ceiling on reservations, leading to the current judicial setback.
According to the YSRCP leaders, the state government was fully aware of the constitutional limitations but failed to complete the necessary statutory processes required to protect the quota. They alleged that instead of taking proactive steps, the government deliberately wasted time.
Questioning Political Will in Delhi
Venugopala Krishna raised serious questions regarding the Chief Minister's influence at the Centre. He pointed out that while Naidu is a key partner in the NDA government, he has failed to advocate strongly for the BC quota with Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
"If special efforts could be made in Parliament to provide legal backing to Amaravati, why was the same commitment not shown for 34% BC reservation?"
The former minister criticized the government's approach, suggesting that merely sending BC Ministers to Delhi to consult lawyers was an insufficient response. He demanded that the state government exert real political pressure on the Central government to secure constitutional protection for the reservation.
Demand for Legal Framework vs. Party Tickets
The YSRCP has rejected any proposals to compensate Backward Classes through internal party-level seat allocations. Venugopala Krishna emphasized that political tickets and statutory reservations are fundamentally different matters. He insisted that the government must complete the legal formalities and conduct local-body elections with the promised 34 per cent BC reservation.
Dharmana Prasada Rao added that the government issued orders that were bound to fail judicial scrutiny, knowing that aggregate reservations typically cannot exceed the 50 per cent ceiling. He called for an unconditional apology to the BC community and demanded a comprehensive empirical survey conducted through a legally constituted commission, rather than ad hoc data collection.
YSRCP Claims Superior BC Representation
The leaders contrasted the current administration with the previous YSRCP government led by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. They claimed that under Jagan Mohan Reddy, the BC community saw significant political representation, citing several statistics:
- Rajya Sabha: 4 out of 11 positions held by BCs.
- MLC Positions: 28 out of 58 positions.
- Zilla Parishad Chairpersons: 6 out of 13 posts.
- Mayors: 9 out of 13 posts.
- Municipal Chairpersons: 44 out of 84 posts.
- Mandal Parishad Presidents: 239 out of 636 posts.
- Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies: 227 out of 639 positions.
The YSRCP concluded by demanding that the coalition government stop blaming the opposition for the loss of opportunities and instead explain its failure to secure a legally sustainable 34 per cent quota. The party vowed to continue its struggle until statutory reservation and fair representation are achieved.