HYDERABAD: Normal life was disrupted across Telangana as the statewide bandh, called by BC organisations and supported by political parties cutting across party lines, saw large-scale participation — including ministers — and protests in major towns and cities. The bandh was called after the High Court recently issued an interim order staying the Government Order that provided 42 per cent BC reservations in local bodies. The Supreme Court refused to interfere in the stay issued by the High Court.
RTC services were suspended as buses remained in depots following appeals from political leaders and transport unions. Shops, business establishments, and educational institutions were largely closed, while commuters travelling home for Diwali were left stranded at bus stands and junctions across the State.
Leaders across the political spectrum, including those from the Congress, BJP, BRS, Telangana Jagruthi, and the BC Joint Action Committee, took part in rallies and sit-ins held in Hyderabad, Warangal, Khammam, and other district headquarters. Ministers Ponnam Prabhakar, Vakkati Sreenivas, Seethakka, and others joined protest demonstrations at RTC Cross Roads, Tank Bund, and other major centres, urging immediate action on the pending reservation Bill.
Congress leaders reviewed the situation throughout the day, with TPCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud monitoring the bandh’s progress from morning and participating in a protest at several locations in the city. Congress leaders reiterated their support to the BC JAC’s call, terming the bandh a justified movement for long-pending social justice.
At RTC Cross Roads and MGBS, BC JAC leaders staged protests preventing buses from leaving depots, while leaders of the BRS, including Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Gangula Kamalakar, and Srinivas Goud, joined the agitation. In Khammam district, Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao participated in the demonstrations expressing solidarity with BC groups.
The State government, which had earlier passed the BC Reservation Bill after conducting a caste survey and securing approval in the Assembly, has maintained that the Bill has been pending with the Governor and the President since March 30. Ministers pointed out that the delay in the Centre’s approval had stalled its implementation, the flow of Central funds and affected local body elections.
Political leaders and BC organisations demanded that the Union Government act without delay, approve the Bill, and include it under the Ninth Schedule to ensure constitutional protection. They expressed readiness to continue both legal and political struggles until the enhanced quota is implemented.