Ongole: Backward Classes quota should continue says Ex-ZPP chief Dr Nukasni Balaji

Ongole: Former Zilla Parishad chairman Dr Nukasni Balaji said here on Tuesday that as per the survey the population of the backward classes in the State was 48.13 per cent. The Supreme Court in May, 2010, ruled that the reservations in the local body elections should not exceed 50 per cent.

But the same Supreme Court made an exemption to the general rule in Indira Sawhney Vs Rakesh Kumar case stating that the reservations may exceed in certain special conditions, he recalled. In spite of the Supreme Court judgment, the Kiran Kumar Reddy government conducted the elections with 60 per cent reservations for the Backward Classes in the year 2013.

Dr Balaji dared the State government to file a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court if it was sincere to implement reservations for the Backward Classes. He assured the government that the TDP would also implead in the petition.

He wondered as to why the State government did not take it as a prestige issue to appoint a good advocate to argue the case as it has done in the case of Amaravati capital city case when Mukul Rohitgi was appointed by paying Rs 5 crore.

He recalled that it was TDP which provided 34 per cent reservations for the Backward Classes in the local body elections. It was sheer incompetency on the part of the the state government, he said and added that it was ridiculous to blame the TDP president Chandrababu Naidu. He advised the government to pass a Bill to provide reservations for the Backward Classes if was really sincere in improving their living conditions.