Hyderabad: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) is turning its attention to the Backward Classes (BCs) after noticing that other national parties are giving priority to this community. To better understand how to support BCs, a team of BRS leaders will visit Tamil Nadu to study its 69% reservation system and other welfare schemes related to BCs.
The delegation will be led by S Madhusudhana Chary, a former Speaker of the Telangana Assembly and a prominent BC leader. Other members of the team include BRS Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha, Vaddiraju Ravichandra, as well as V Srinivas Goud, L Ramana, K Chander, and B Bikshamaiah Goud. The group plans to meet Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and Education and BC Welfare Minister RS Rajakannappan. The visit is expected to take place on Thursday.
Before their trip, the BC leaders held a meeting at Telangana Bhavan. During this meeting, BRS working president KT Rama Rao instructed the delegation to carefully examine Tamil Nadu’s BC-related policies and prepare a report for the party.
Tamil Nadu is notable for offering 69% reservation, which is higher than the 50% limit set by the Supreme Court. BRS leaders are interested in understanding how the Tamil Nadu government has managed to implement such a large reservation and how it has successfully reached out to BC communities with various schemes.
The BRS has shifted its focus to BCs in response to similar moves by other parties. The Congress has appointed a BC leader as the president of its state unit, and the BJP is expected to follow suit. In fact, during the upcoming 2023 Assembly elections, the BJP has already announced a BC candidate for the Chief Minister position.
Reacting to these developments, the BRS recently held a meeting with BC leaders at Telangana Bhavan. After the meeting, the party urged the government to conduct a census of BCs, which had been promised before the last elections. KT Rama Rao also suggested that local body elections should only be held after completing these surveys. The visit to Tamil Nadu is expected to help the BRS understand welfare initiatives that could be replicated in Telangana to strengthen their support among BCs.