TRS goes slow on Muslim quota after BJP’s threat

The chances of the Telangana government convening a special session of the Legislative Assembly to pass the Muslim quota Bill before the TRS plenary meeting look remote.

The party leadership is busy making arrangements for the plenary to be held on April 21 in Kompally, on the outskirts of the city, to elect the party president. This will be followed by a public meeting in Warangal on April 27 to celebrate the 16th Formation Day of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi.

With the BJP making it clear that it will oppose religious reservations, the TRS leadership wants to discuss the issue in its plenary meeting and take a call on how to go about it since it is not possible to include Muslim quota in the IX Schedule of the Constitution without the support of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.

The TS government wants the Centre to include Muslim quota in the IX Schedule, as was done in the Tamil Nadu reservation Bill, to give legal protection for reservations above the Supreme Court prescribed limit of 50 per cent overall reservation.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had promised in the Assembly on March 27 that the Muslim quota bill will be passed within a week. However, there has been no progress on this issue even after two weeks were over.

Though the Budget session of the State Legislature concluded on March 27, the State Assembly has not been prorogued so far with the purpose of convening a special session to pass the Muslim quota bill.