With 400 seats, BJP would have removed reservation: Telangana CM

Hyderabad, May 1 (IANS) Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said on Thursday that if the BJP had won 400 Lok Sabha seats, "it would have scrapped reservation and changed the Constitution". 

Revanth Reddy said the opposition parties and people foiled the BJP’s plans by limiting it to 240 seats.

Addressing a press conference, he said that if the BJP had secured 400 seats, it would also not have decided to conduct a caste census.

He also claimed that the Narendra Modi government was politically compelled to decide to conduct a caste census along with the next population census.

“Because we alerted the people, they did not give the BJP a majority and limited it to 240 seats. Unable to implement its agenda and to save the coalition government, it agreed to conduct a caste census,” he said.

The Congress leader pointed out that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and others who are in the coalition government in the poll-bound state were demanding caste census.

“Till yesterday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP spoke against the caste census. (Defence Minister) Rajnath Singh said this on record. They gave an affidavit in the Supreme Court that they would not conduct a caste census. Why have they changed their mind? This is because we alerted people and they denied the majority to them,” he said.

He claimed that the Bharat Jodo Yatra of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi helped the people of this country. "Because of our pressure, the Central government has come forward to undertake a caste census," he said.

Revanth Reddy said PM Modi admitted that Telangana is a pioneering state in undertaking the caste census. “Since Narendra Modi is following me, the local BJP leaders are feeling jealous of me,” he said.

The Chief Minister also remarked that the Prime Minister accepting a suggestion of the Leader of Opposition augurs well for the country. He pointed out that Rahul Gandhi appreciated the Centre for its decision.

Replying to a query, he said the Supreme Court did not impose a 50 per cent cap on reservation but only observed that there should be proper data for enhancing the quota.