Lashing out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ignoring the Bills to enhance reservation for backward classes (BCs), Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday warned that their protests will spread like wildfire throughout the country. The BC Poru Garjana was held on Wednesday at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, demanding the Centre’s consent for the two Bills that were passed by the Telangana Assembly recently.

Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister criticised the Prime Minister, wondering why the BC reservation bill of Telangana enhancing their reservation to 42 per cent was being ignored. “We said we will increase BC reservation in our state. We did not ask you (Modi) to increase it in his state… BC groups met BJP leaders demanding an increase in reservation according to the Assembly’s resolution. But there was no response,” said the Chief Minister, explaining why the rally was being held in New Delhi. Dubbing it to be a righteous war (dharma yuddha), he warned that the BJP will face a tough time if it does not give consent to the Bills passed by the Assembly. He said, “Don’t try to dominate us. You have seen what happened to the Nizam rulers. You have seen what happened to the Andhra rulers.”

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The Chief Minister also took a dig at Union Minister for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar. He said, “Bandi Sanjay said he will give his life for BCs. We do not want your life; just increase the reservation for BCs.” He also said that if BC reservations were allowed to be increased in Telangana, then “we will hold a meeting with 10 lakh people and felicitate Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

The Telangana Assembly has passed two Bills to increase BC reservations in local bodies, employment, and education. The Congress demanded that the central government should approve the two Bills immediately. The BC leaders also demanded immediate nationwide caste census and 33 per cent sub quota for BC women in legislatures. Key leaders from other Opposition parties, including AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, RJD MP Manoj Jha, and DMK MP Kanimozi, expressed solidarity with the BC protests.