National BC Assn warns against bid to weaken quota

Domalguda: The National BC Association on Wednesday warned against attempts by vested interests to weaken the BC reservations by approaching courts. Addressing a press conference here, after a meeting with activists of some BC associations, president Jajula Srinivas Goud stated that the Association would oppose such attempts. Referring to a petition filed by Swapna Reddy of the Congress, Goud questioned as to whether the party did not need votes of BCs. He demanded expulsion of Swapna by TPCC chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy.

The BC leader claimed that courts have no power to reduce the BC reservations, while contending that the Supreme Court had fixed the BC quota ceiling at 50 per cent with regard to education and employment and not in politics. Goud demanded increase in reservations for BCs in proportion to their population.

While thanking the TRS government for deciding to approach SC against the ruling of the AP High Court, he stated that it would not serve any purpose without the BC population figures. Goud called for a meeting of all BC organisations and parties to discuss the issue. He said the association would take up a legal fight for protecting rights of BCs.

He favoured holding of gram panchayat polls with the current 34 per cent quota. The association would organise an all-party meeting on BC quota on July 16, undertake a state-wide ‘BC reservation parirakshna yatra’ from July 22 and organise a public meeting in Hyderabad in the second week of August.