Hyderabad: The Telangana Legislative Assembly passed the Bill seeks to increase reservations for Muslims and Scheduled Tribes at its one-day special session, today.The passage of the Bill increasing the reservations for Muslims by eight per cent from the existing four per cent to 12 per cent and for STs by four per cent from the existing six per cent to ten per cent, was greeted by thumping of desks by the treasury benches.
Earlier, Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao, who moved the bill, described the introduction of the reservation bill as a "historic" step and a promise fulfilled. It may be mentioned that the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) during the 2014 elections had promised to hike reservations to Muslims and STs. The state cabinet which met last evening had approved the bill seeking to increase reservations for Muslims by eight per cent, from the existing four per cent, to 12 per cent and for STs to four per cent, from the existing six per cent to 10 per cent.
Speaking on the bill, Mr Rao said the government had decided to increase reservations for Backward Muslims and STs because of their poor socio-economic and educational background.
Urging the Centre to include the increased reservations for Muslims and STs in the ninth schedule of the Constitution, he said that Tamil Nadu had been providing 69 per cent reservations since 1990. He recalled that providing reservations to Muslims and STs was the ruling party's theme song during the electioneering in the 2014 polls and the party had achieved a thumping majority without any alliance with other parties. (UNI