As the Congress government in Telangana takes bold and unprecedented steps towards social justice, including successful completion of caste-based enumeration and the historic decision to enhance reservations for BCs from 27 per cent to 42 per cent, the opposition parties-particularly the BJP and BRS-seem rattled. Rather than welcoming these reforms, they appear determined to obstruct the process at every step, exposing their discomfort with the empowerment of backward and marginalised communities.

Telangana now stands as a national model in its commitment to inclusivity. With Backward Classes (BCs), SCs, STs, and minorities constituting over 80 per cent of the nation’s population, Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi's vision of social equality is being translated into action by the Revanth Reddy-led state government. The passage of the BC Reservation Bill in both Houses of the Telangana Legislature is a landmark development that has been widely celebrated by weaker sections.

However, what followed at the Centre has been deeply disappointing. Despite the state’s formal plea to include the BC Reservation Bill under the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, the Narendra Modi-led Union Government has chosen to drag its feet raising questions about its true commitment to social equity. The BJP’s reluctance stands in stark contrast to the overwhelming support the initiative garnered from 15 national and regional parties, who participated in a massive protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar demanding central approval.

Ironically, the BRS and BJP, which extended support to the Bill in the Telangana Legislature, were conspicuously absent from the Delhi protest. Their absence has not gone unnoticed among BC organisations, who now question the sincerity of their support. This duplicity has led to growing resentment, with BC leaders accusing these parties of sabotaging their constitutional rights for political convenience.

Faced with legal deadlines to conduct local body elections, the Telangana government brought in an Ordinance to implement enhanced reservations for BCs, a necessary step to avoid political injustice. Rather than supporting the move, the opposition began hurling baseless allegations and misinformation.

The BRS, which had earlier slashed BC reservations from 34 per cent to 23 per cent during its tenure, now claims that the Congress government's decision may not stand legal scrutiny. Their sudden concern appears less about constitutionality and more about political one-upmanship.

The BJP’s double standards are even more glaring. While the party claims to oppose religion-based reservations, Muslims continue to enjoy BC status in BJP-ruled states such as Gujarat, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Assam and Haryana. Yet, in Telangana, they raise objections under the guise of constitutional morality. This hypocrisy reveals the BJP’s opportunistic politics and its tendency to weaponise identity based on regional strategies.

Their claim that 42 per cent reservation violates the Supreme Court-mandated 50 per cent cap rings hollow, especially when the same BJP government at the Centre pushed the EWS (Economically Weaker Sections) quota, breaching the 50 per cent ceiling and raising the total reservations to 59 per cent nationally. If legal barriers were not an issue, then, why now?

Equally disingenuous is the assertion by state BJP leaders that including the BC Reservation Bill under the Ninth Schedule is “not possible.” Precedents from Tamil Nadu and other states clearly demonstrate that the Ninth Schedule has been effectively used to protect affirmative action measures from judicial review.

The BJP’s unwillingness to do the same for Telangana's BCs only reaffirms its indifference, if not outright hostility, towards the socially marginalised.

The BJP, despite its rhetoric, has rarely backed its words with action. Promises to elevate BCs to positions of power remain largely symbolic. The recent removal of MLA Raja Singh, a BC leader, from prominence within the Telangana BJP, and the appointment of upper-caste leaders to state-level positions, further expose the party’s caste biases. The BC community, aware of these patterns, has every reason to feel betrayed.

Telangana has shown the country what progressive, data-driven governance looks like. Caste enumeration, enhanced BC quotas, and targeted welfare mark a transformative phase under the Congress government.

In contrast, the BJP’s obstructionist tactics, combined with its sectarian undertones, are pulling the state, and the country, away from the inclusive ideals that are enshrined in the Constitution.

If the BJP continues to undermine backward classes, and uses legal loopholes and communal narratives to deny them their rightful share, it risks not just political backlash, but also moral isolation. The people of Telangana, and indeed India, are watching.

(The writer is Chairman of Rajiv Gandhi Panchayati Raj Sanghatan, Telangana)