Telangana BC bandh: A struggle without direction
What was its purpose? Who was it against? Despite widespread participation, the bandh demanding 42 pc BC quota raised more questions than it answered
Leaders from various backward class (BC) communities across Telangana came together on Saturday (October 18), calling for a statewide bandh demanding 42 per cent reservations for BCs in local bodies.
Independent BC leaders, those from different political parties, and intellectuals formed a Joint Action Committee (JAC) to lead the protest, which drew strong participation from all BC communities.
Political backing
The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), Telangana Jagruthi, Maoists, and Left parties backed the bandh. The BJP, leading the NDA at the Centre, took part actively, while the Congress, ruling Telangana, deployed its BC ministers and leaders on the streets to ensure its success.
With ministers, MPs and senior leaders leading rallies, the bandh evoked memories of the Telangana movement days. Never before had BC communities displayed such unity. But beneath the surface, questions persisted about its real purpose.
The unanswered question
A bandh is a form of struggle. But who exactly was the October 18 bandh against?
Telangana Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar called it a warning to the BJP-led NDA government, accusing it of refusing to help include the reservation bill in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution. “If the Centre fails to cooperate on reservations, it will have to stand guilty before the people,” he warned.
On the other hand, BJP MP Etela Rajender (Malkajgiri) said, “Regional parties and the Congress will never do justice to BCs. The Congress is deceiving people on reservations. This is a protest against Congress misrule — and it will continue.”
BRS MP Vaddiraju Ravichandra alleged that the Congress issued a GO for 42 per cent reservations “knowing it would be struck down by the courts,” while Kavitha of Telangana Jagruthi blamed the Congress for the non-implementation.
Political blame game
The Congress insists it did its part and that the Centre blocked progress, blaming the BJP. Meanwhile, the BJP and BRS accuse Congress of lacking sincerity and political will.
Caught in the crossfire, BC activists appear to have become pawns. The way major political parties took over the bandh from the activists who initiated it was evident on the streets.
In reality, none of the three parties — BRS, Congress, or BJP — has been truly proactive about BC reservations. The Congress acted mainly because of Rahul Gandhi’s caste census policy; BRS limited itself to rhetoric; and BJP, ideologically, has always opposed quotas. Yet, all fielded their BC leaders to occupy the spotlight, sidelining grassroots activists.
Bandh without direction
This lack of clarity weakened the protest, observed Prof. S Simhadri of Osmania University. “None of the major parties in Telangana show genuine intent to implement reservations. There’s no honesty in caste enumeration or in introducing bills. The BJP at the Centre will not cooperate either,” said the academic, who also heads the Samajwadi Party in Telangana.
Legal and political backdrop
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s government passed the reservation bills in the Assembly, issued an ordinance, and released GO MS No. 9 to apply the 42 per cent quota in local body elections. But the bills remain pending with the Centre, the ordinance lies with the Governor, and the High Court stayed the GO’s implementation — a decision upheld by the Supreme Court.
With this, the matter is effectively with the Narendra Modi government. If the state has done all it could, what exactly was the bandh protesting against?
Irony of leadership
Curiously, BJP Rajya Sabha MP R Krishnaiah, a longtime BC rights advocate, led the JAC that organized the bandh. Was he protesting against his own party at the Centre or against the Congress in the state? The bandh offered no answer.
While it’s the Centre’s responsibility to include Telangana’s bills in the Ninth Schedule, Krishnaiah and others like Etela Rajender haven’t pressed the Modi government. BRS working president KT Rama Rao, meanwhile, said the party supported the bandh “against Congress failure,” but avoided mentioning the Centre’s inaction.
Also read: SC rejects Telangana's plea against HC stay on 42 pc OBC quota in local body polls
Competing narratives
BJP state president G Ramachandra Rao said the bandh was “a protest against Congress’s double game.” Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka countered that it was against the Centre’s attitude and demanded that the Modi government “approve the BC bills and include them in the Ninth Schedule.”
Left parties, too, joined in protest against the Centre. Yet, none of the leaders — from BJP, Congress or BRS — threatened to resign if the bill wasn’t approved. The bandh became a political shield, allowing all parties to appear supportive while avoiding accountability.
‘Bandh was against all three parties’
Retired IAS officer and BC Intellectual Forum president Togarala Chiranjeevi told The Federal that the BC Reservation Sadhana Samithi organized the bandh “against all three major parties.”
“The BJP is evading responsibility at the Centre, the Congress is misleading BCs, and the BRS has never taken a clear stand on 42 per cent reservations. So, our protest was against the policies of all three,” he said.
He criticised the BRS leadership for sending only BC members to the protest. “Should BCs alone in the BRS fight for BC rights? Why didn’t party chiefs take to the streets? Why didn’t BRS leaders who supported the bill in the Assembly implead themselves in the High Court case?” he asked.
Also read: Parliamentary panel urges law for SC, ST, OBC quotas in private higher education institutions
‘We know who our real enemies are’
BC activist and advocate K Kondala Rao said, “Every party joined the bandh with its own agenda, but BCs know who their real enemies and allies are.” He blamed the state government for not releasing the BC Commission Report, which the High Court had pointed out. “The government’s refusal to make the report public exposes its bad faith,” he said.
Another BC leader, requesting anonymity, alleged that the bandh was “sabotaged.” “Congress didn’t act sincerely, BJP didn’t cooperate, and BRS never stood by BCs. These parties used their BC leaders to hijack the protest and dilute its purpose,” he claimed.
A new phase of unity?
However, Prof. E Venkatesu of the University of Hyderabad viewed the bandh differently. Calling it “a successful experiment in BC unity,” he said it marked a turning point in Telangana politics.
“This is the first time in history that BCs have come together on such a large scale. It has strengthened unity among communities. If this collective effort continues, BCs could well emerge as a third political force in Telangana,” he observed.
(This story was originally published in The Federal Telangana.)
