KCR’s political desperation

Telangana state is the youngest and a brand new state of India. It’s the 29th state of the union. However, there’s nothing new about the politics of this state. In fact, the ruling party TRS in the state is conspiring and promoting the age-old, divisive and classic vote-bank politics of India.

What’s funny is that CM KCR and his party TRS, a first-time ruling party, do it so blatantly and brazenly that even the mother of divisive politics in this country, Congress Party, is put to shame. Such is the degree of caste and religious politics at play in Telangana state under the leadership of CM KCR.

Even the states which have large percentage of Muslim voters haven’t talked of 12% Muslim reservations, but KCR and his party made it a manifesto promise and are proposing to pass the bill in the Assembly mostly in this budget session.

Assam has around 34.3% Muslim population, West Bengal around 30% and Uttar Pradesh over 25.8%; however none of these states has violated the Indian Constitutional provision for keeping SC/ST & OBC reservations under 50% and its strict rejection of religion-based reservations.

However, CM KCR seems to be operating above the Indian Constitution and showcases his brazenness in defying it in letter & spirit. The worst part about this misadventurism is that it’s not even a sincere attempt to better the living standards of the Muslims. If that were KCR’s intention, there are many developmental and welfare programmes he can initiate without hassle.

The real intention behind this unconstitutional decision is to gain political brownie points and mileage and convert this feat into votes. KCR’s desperation and urgency for passing this unconstitutional and illegal 12% reservations bill is to feed his urgency, to get ready for a pre-term Assembly election in 2018.

He understands his party has no chance to win, if he were to wait to complete the term. His government did not deliver on any poll promises his party made throughout the last 3 years. CM KCR badly needs this bill to be passed, in his bid to pocket 12.7% Muslim votes in Telangana.

However, it’s not as easy as it seems. Muslims are too smart to be taken for a ride that easily, there’s an electoral precedence of Congress party to prove that point. Muslims rejected Congress party in both 2014 assembly elections and in the most recent municipal elections for GHMC in Telangana State.

Muslims in Telangana state understand CM KCR is swinging both ways to appease Hindus and Muslims through his unprecedented political antics. They understand this bill can be passed in the Assembly, but can never see the light of the day to be implemented. It will be challenged in the courts the same day it is passed and a bill this illegal from the concept stage can never be passed in courts.

BJP, being the only party which can stand up to the unconstitutionality of this bill without having to be politically right, has already started field-level protests democratically. It will expose the duplicity and uncouth divisive politics of KCR to the people of Telangana State.

BJP is 100% certain that it will build enough pressure on CM KCR that he backs off from this unconstitutional proposal of 12% Muslim reservations to fulfil his divisive political expediency. (Writer is a BJP spokesperson, an organisational strategist and an author)

By Krishna Saagar Rao