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Union Commerce and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday asked the KCR government in Telangana why it is not implementing the reservations for EBC (economically backward classes) announced by the Modi government.
Instead, he said, under the influence of AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, the Telangana government is seeking reservations on communal lines.
Interacting with the media here, Goyal said that though both KCR and Owaisi know reservations based on religion are against the Constitution, they sought to increase the quota from 4 per cent to 12 per cent. “This was rightly struck down by the High Court and the matter is now with the Supreme Court,” he said.
BJP’s electoral gains
Referring to the recent electoral gains made by the BJP, he said the party is now well positioned to take on the TRS regime in Telangana. In last year’s election, the BJP bagged four Parliamentary seats, including that of K Kavitha, the daughter of TRS Chief K Chandrasekhar Rao. Plus, it gained vote share in the recent local body polls, he said.
While the NDA government has implemented various welfare schemes, why has the TRS government not implemented Ayushman Bharat, which now covers nearly 50 crore people nationwide, asked Goyal.
All the schemes implemented by the Centre are without any discrimination, with a single-minded focus on welfare, he emphasised.
CAA stance
Referring to the KCR Cabinet on February 16 passing a resolution against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, Goyal said the legislation was passed by both the Houses of Parliament, and does not discriminate against any religion. The Telangana government has no option but to support the CAA in a federal structure, he added.
Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and senior advocate Kapil Sibal have also said the CAA is a Central enactment and the States do not have any discretionary power to oppose it, he pointed out.
Referring to Owaisi’s statement on a new train flagged off by the Prime Minister, where some employees performed a puja, Goyal said the train was on a trial run and there was no effort to give it a religious colour.
Earlier, Goyal launched various development initiatives at the Secunderabad railway station.
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