Hanumakonda: Bhatti flays Amit Shah's remarks on Muslim quota

Hanumakonda: Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks - reservations for minorities would be abolished – were against the spirit of Indian Constitution, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Bhatti Vikramarka said. Speaking to media persons at Gunturupalli under Elkathurthy mandal in Hanumakonda district on Monday, Bhatti took strong exception to the comments of Amit Shah who spoke about Muslim reservations at a public meeting in Chevella on Sunday.

He recalled that the then Congress government appointed a commission with an objective to remove inequalities and for uplift of downtrodden communities and decided to provide four per cent reservation to the utmost backward minorities. The TRS government later promised to increase it to 12 per cent. But strangely BRS did not hesitate to support BJP on various legislations in the Parliament though BJP said it would do away with four per cent reservation provided to the Minorities during the tenure of Congress government.

Amit Shah also made ridiculous remarks that after removing reservation for minorities, it would be extended to SC, ST and BCs. "I suggest to the Union Minister to read the Constitution. The reservation for SC, STs was fixed in proportion to their population and it was approved by the Parliament. There was nothing to be given newly by the BJP government to SCs and STs," Bhatti said.

BJP was carrying out a false propaganda that the Supreme Court had put a cap on reservations at 50 per cent. The Apex Court only said a rational caste census should be carried out and a report be submitted before implementing reservation. Had the Centre submitted a caste-wise census report, reservation for BCs would have been implemented long back, he said.

Bhatti said that both BJP and BRS were procrastinating without taking up caste census and creating confusion to gain political mileage.

Referring to Amit Shah's remarks that BJP would take action against the corrupt BRS leaders soon after it came to power in the State, Bhatti sought to know who was in power in the Centre now. Why is the BJP government not taking action against corrupt BRS leaders," Bhatti demanded. Both KCR and BJP State chief Bandi Sanjay were acting as per the direction of Amit Shah, he alleged.

Former MP Ponnam Prabhakar said paddy was not being purchased due to the indifference of the government and no paddy purchase centres were opened contrary to the government's claims. Even one month after the tour of Chief Minister KCR, farmers did not get crop loss compensation, he pointed out and demanded immediate announcement of compensation to maize and mango farmers who suffered losses due to recent unseasonal rains and gale. Former MP Siricilla Rajaiah, Hanumakonda DCC president Naini Rajender Reddy, Wardhannapet in-charge Namindla Srinivas and former mayor Errabelli Swarna were among others present.