Overview

• The Telangana government issued an ordinance this week to implement a 42 percent reservation for backward classes in local body elections without waiting for the President’s assent.
• BJP MP K. Laxman questioned the legality of the ordinance, arguing that the governor cannot approve it while the related bill is pending presidential approval.
• Laxman alleged that including 10 percent of Muslims in the OBC category dilutes the actual share of backward classes and claimed their population percentage fell from 51 to 46 percent since Congress took office.
• He also faulted the state for proroguing the assembly before the cabinet decision and for not publishing the findings of the B. Venkateshwara Rao commission on BC reservations.
• The dispute underscores ongoing tensions over reservation policy procedures and sets the stage for potential legal challenges over constitutional validity.