Cong betrayed BCs with false promises: BJP

Hyderabad: Rajya Sabha MP and BJP OBC Morcha National President Dr K Laxman launched a scathing attack on the Congress government over its handling of BC reservations, accusing it of betrayal, deception and deliberate neglect.

Addressing a media conference on Thursday at the BJP state office, Dr Laxman said the Congress had “cut the throats of BCs with a wet cloth” by reducing their reservation to just 17% in the upcoming Panchayat elections.

He recalled that before the 2023 Assembly elections, Congress had promised 42% reservation for BCs in education, employment, and local bodies through the Kamareddy Declaration. “Now, they’ve drowned BCs in a puddle,” he said, citing GO No. 46 as evidence of the party’s backtracking. In 2019, 2,404 gram panchayats (23%) were reserved for BCs. In 2025, that number has dropped to 2,176—a loss of 228 seats.

Dr Laxman highlighted the district-wise disparities: Mulugu and Mahabubabad (3%), Adilabad (4%), Asifabad (5%), Manchiryal (7%), Khammam (9%), Vikarabad (18%), Kamareddy (23%, with 8 villages less than before), and Bhadradri Kothagudem (0%). “There isn’t a single BC seat in 27 mandals,” he said, adding that in many districts, BC reservations are below 10%.

He accused Congress of spending Rs 200 crore on caste surveys only to “dig a mountain and catch a mouse.” He said Rahul Gandhi’s push for BC votes in Maharashtra and Telangana was politically motivated and ultimately rejected by voters. “Congress used caste census, dharnas, and ordinances to mesmerise BCs, only to betray them,” he said.

Dr Laxman contrasted this with the Modi government’s efforts, citing the appointment of a BC Chief Minister and EBC Deputy CM in Bihar, and the upcoming caste census in 2026. “Justice to BCs is being done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, not Congress,” he asserted.

He urged voters to reject Congress in the upcoming elections, saying, “The party that deceives BCs at every step must be punished.”