The Congress in Telangana today said the ruling TRS should not seek votes from minority Muslims if it failed to honour its promise of providing 12 per cent reservation to them.
The main opposition party said Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao does not appear sincere in providing quota in jobs and education to the minority community.
"We are questioning the sincerity of KCR (Rao) on reservations. We have doubts on his intentions. You had promised 12 per cent reservation each to Muslims and tribals.
"You repeatedly talked about Mission Bhagiratha. You don't have the right to ask for the votes of these groups if you don't implement 12 per cent reservation," state Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy told reporters here.
Reddy was referring to the TRS statement it would not seek votes if it failed to implement the 'Mission Bhagiratha' (supplying piped water to every household) scheme by 2019.
Rao yesterday hoped the Centre would positively respond to his government's request to facilitate reservation for backward sections among Muslims as it needs to be included in the 9th Schedule of the Constitution (which provides a protective umbrella to laws placed in it).
Such a move is required as the percentage of quotas in the state would exceed the 50 per cent cap on reservations.
Meanwhile, state BJP president K Laxman said it is incorrect on the part of Rao to say that Prime Minister Narendra Modi supported reservations for Muslims.
He said it is conflicting when Rao said Modi had responded positively to the request for facilitating the quota for backward sections among Muslims and that the ruling TRS would fight in Parliament to achieve the reservations.
Laxman took exception to Rao appreciating the late Nizam (erstwhile ruler of Hyderabad) as people had fought against the Nizam rule.
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