Centre won't accept inclusion of Muslims in Backward Classes by Telangana govt: Union Minister Bandi Sanjay

Hyderabad: The Centre will not accept the Telangana government's move to include Muslims in the Backward Classes category, Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar said on Saturday.

His comments hold significance as the Telangana government recently announced plans to pass a bill in the Assembly to increase the reservation for OBCs to 42 per cent and send it to the Centre for parliamentary approval.

The proposal would exceed the 50 per cent cap on reservations.

"We are very clear. The Centre will not accept the inclusion of 10 per cent of Muslims in the BC category. We oppose religion-based reservations," Kumar, Union Minister of State for Home told reporters here.

State BJP leaders will try to persuade the Central leadership to pass the bill if the state government sends it to the Centre after removing Muslims from the BC list, he said.

"Backward classes would suffer in jobs, reservations, educational opportunities, budget allocations and other areas if Muslims are included in the BC category," he said.

"Muslims are already receiving benefits as minorities and under the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) category," he said.

He claimed that Muslims would win the seats reserved for BCs in the upcoming Telangana local body polls, as "their voting is one-sided.

Other Castes (OCs) also oppose the inclusion of Muslims in the BC category, as it would negatively impact BCs, Kumar said.

The February 27 poll for three MLC seats in the state will serve as a referendum on the issue, he said.

Kumar held a meeting here with officials from the Central and Telangana governments on 'Enemy Properties.' He asked officials to complete the accounting of Enemy Properties in Telangana, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Custodian of Enemy Property of India (CEPI), by the end of March after conducting a ground survey and verifying records.

He directed officials to take necessary steps to safeguard the Enemy Properties.

Enemy property refers to assets left behind in India by individuals who acquired Pakistani or Chinese citizenship.

On February 12, Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said the state government would pressure the Centre to ensure that the bill passed in the Assembly receives parliamentary approval, as the proposed 42 per cent quota would breach the 50 per cent cap on reservations.

The state government, which conducted a caste survey between November and December stated that backward classes, including backward Muslims, make up 56.33 per cent of the state's population, forming the largest demographic group.

Telangana provides reservations for backward Muslims under the BC category.