New party in Telugu States?

State president of the BC Welfare Society K Sankar Rao said that efforts were on to create a BC-based party by 2024. Addressing a media conference at Rajahmundry on Friday, he said the powers that be were depriving the BCs of the rights conferred upon them by the Constitution. He said by including forward and well-to-do castes in the BC list, they are trying to weaken the BC cause and deprive most backward castes of their rightful opportunities.

Though several commissions were formed in the past, their recommendations were thrown into the garbage bin. He said the BCs, who constitute 57 per cent of the population, were still backward and were not given adequate political representation.

He strongly opposed the inclusion of forward castes into the BC list and demanded that the 34 per cent BC reservations at the local body level, be extended to the Assembly and Lok Sahba as well. He said the BCs should vote only for those parties that give priority to the BCs.

BC Yuvajana Sangham president Kranthi Kumar too said that a massive awareness campaign would be launched in all the 175 constituencies in the state among the BCs.