Union Home Minister Amit Shah made a significant announcement on Thursday, stating that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) plans to terminate reservation benefits for Muslims in Telangana.
Instead, the party aims to allocate these benefits to Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
Addressing a public gathering, Amit Shah emphasised the BJP's decision to abolish the reservation system for Muslims, which was implemented by the Congress and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in the state.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had previously assured that the Congress government would uphold the four percent reservation quota for Muslims in education and employment sectors.
Amit Shah criticised the Congress, alleging that it had transformed Telangana into an "ATM of Delhi." He highlighted the BJP-led government's efforts to address long standing issues across the nation, citing the establishment of the grand Ram temple in Ayodhya and the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir as significant achievements.
Accusing the Congress of failing to investigate alleged "scams" during the previous TRS government's tenure, Shah underscored the need for accountability and transparency in governance.
Referring to the TRS's renaming to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), Shah suggested collusion between the TRS and Congress. He pledged that the Modi government would combat corruption in Telangana and declared September 17 as Telangana Liberation Day.
Asserting the BJP's growing influence in Telangana, Shah expressed confidence in the electorate's decision to support BJP candidates in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Telangana is set to witness polling for 17 parliamentary constituencies on May 13. In the previous general election, the TRS secured nine seats, followed by the BJP with four seats, the Congress with three, and AIMIM with one seat.
The BJP's stance on reservation policies in Telangana and its efforts to combat corruption and promote accountability are likely to shape the discourse in the run-up to the elections.