Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Bandi Sanjay Kumar, firmly stated on Thursday that the inclusion of Muslims in the Backward Class (BC) list would never be accepted, warning that such a move could trigger widespread opposition from the Hindu community.
The BJP leader argued that granting BC status to Muslims would deprive existing backward communities of their rightful reservations.
His remarks came in response to the Telangana Congress government's recent decision to introduce a bill in the Assembly seeking 42% reservations for BCs, which would then be forwarded to the Centre for parliamentary approval.
Reiterating the BJP’s stance against religion-based reservations, Bandi Sanjay criticized the Congress government’s approach. “Congress is well aware that BJP does not support reservations based on religion, yet it continues to push this agenda. This is nothing but political folly. The party’s lack of genuine commitment to BC reservations is evident. By including Muslims in the BC category, Congress is denying rightful reservations to BC communities. If this move goes forward, the entire Hindu society will protest. Congress will face the consequences in the upcoming MLC elections. If it truly stands by BCs, it should immediately remove Muslims from the BC list,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Currently, certain Muslim communities in Telangana receive 4% reservation under the BC-E category for education and employment opportunities.
Bandi Sanjay Challenges Congress to Fulfill Reservation Promise
Bandi Sanjay also called on the Congress government to uphold its promise of 42% reservations for BCs. “As per its election pledge, Congress must deliver 42% reservations to BCs. Instead, it is backtracking and misleading these communities. I urge all BCs to recognize this betrayal,” he asserted.
Additionally, he accused the Congress administration of deliberately delaying local body elections, claiming it lacked the confidence to face the electorate. “Is Congress unaware that delaying local elections beyond March will harm Telangana? The 15th Finance Commission’s grants have already been stalled twice due to these delays. The government’s failure to conduct timely elections violates the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments, which mandate local polls every five years.”
Criticizing the Congress leadership, he added: “Congress claims to uphold the Constitution, yet it is ignoring these mandates. Holding a copy of the Constitution is not enough—it must be followed in action. Without elected sarpanches, how will village assemblies function? How will development projects move forward? Congress is blocking progress in villages, and its only motive for delaying elections is fear of losing.”
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