Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has asserted that his Government was committed to implementing 12 per cent reservations to Minorities as assured and steps had been initiated to introduce a legislation in the State Legislature during the forthcoming budget session.

The Chief Minister clarified that the Government decided to implement quota for Muslims on the basis of their social, economic and educational backwardness and not on religious basis. He was replying to a query raised by BJP member G. Kishan Reddy about the possible legal problems as the courts had struck down the earlier legislations given on the religious basis. “We have initiated steps to remedy the injustice done to the minority communities over the past several decades in the united State and I am confident that the quota issue will be a reality soon,” Mr. Rao said replying to a marathon debate on the steps initiated for the benefit of minorities by the TRS Government.

Refering to Tamil Nadu where the reservation was being implemented since 1994, he said there was no reason why the State Government could not implement it in Telangana when the neighbouring State could ensure its incorporation in the IXth schedule of the Constitution.

Legal recourse

“We are confident of convincing the Central Government to include the quota for Muslims in the IXth schedule and the State could opt for legal recourse if there are hurdles at the Central level,” he said adding that the Government would introduce a legislation in this regard in the budget session. This would be followed by leading an all-party delegation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for convincing him to ratify the decision of the State where Muslim minorities constituted over 14 per cent of the population.

While Congress member T. Jeevan Reddy lamented that the Government failed to keep its promise two-and - a-half years after coming to power, MIM member Akbaruddin Owaisi wanted the Government to tread cautiously as the issue involved legal complications. “The Government should tread cautiously even if it takes time to ensure that the existing quota of four per cent is not affected,” he said. The Chief Minister made it clear that the existing quota of four per cent to minorities was well within the purview of the 50 per cent cap on reservations and it would not be impacted by the introduction of 12 per cent quota.