Hyderabad: The Congress party will be going ahead with local body polls only after providing 42% reservation to Backward Classes.

During the PCC’s Extended Executive meeting on Monday, the AICC State incharge Meenakshi Natarajan said that since the party is keen on implementation of 42% BC reservation, it is making all out efforts to ensure this materialises before the State goes for local body polls.

The PCC also plans a political offensive against the BRS and BJP, accusing them of obstructionism and political deception regarding the BC reservation issue. In view of a major public meeting as part of BC outreach in Kamareddy on September 15, the party decided to highlight the state government’s achievements and press for the presidential assent for the BC reservation bills. In an intriguing decision taken during the meeting which was presided over by PCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud and attended by Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, Bhatti proposed that doors should be opened to Congress leaders who left the party due to various reasons over the years sending a positive signal. The PCC unanimously approved the proposal citing leaders who left the party for various reasons and joined another party after working faithfully to the party’s principles should be welcomed.

The meeting felt the 22-month rule of CM Revanth Reddy, including distribution of fine rice, ration cards, Indiramma housing and fertilizer supply, should be highlighted at all levels. The Congress government, leaders said, has issued over 60,000 ration cards in Hyderabad alone. On Indiramma housing, the government is expediting construction of 3,500 houses per constituency, with bills cleared on time.

The PCC meeting also reviewed local body reservations, reiterating its commitment to 42% reservation and clarified that SC and ST reservations remain unaffected. On the Kaleshwaram project, Congress leaders said now ‘even family members of those involved are admitting corruption’, and this would be taken to the people. The meeting also highlighted that Congress governments in the past had brought Godavari Phase-I, Krishna and Manjeera waters, and now the current government is working on Godavari Phase-II.