Telangana Assembly's Special Session Cut Short Amid Ongoing Cabinet Meeting
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Synopsis
On February 4, the Telangana Legislature's special session was abruptly adjourned within a minute as the State Cabinet continued discussions. The Cabinet was reviewing critical reports on socio-economic surveys and caste classifications, prompting opposition criticism regarding the timing of the meeting.
Key Takeaways
- Special session of Telangana Legislature adjourned almost immediately.
- Cabinet meeting discussing socio-economic and caste survey reports.
- Legislators from both Assembly and Council called for adjournment.
- Opposition parties criticized the government for the timing of the Cabinet meeting.
- Significant discussions on caste survey and reservation policies are underway.
Hyderabad, Feb 4 (NationPress) The special session of the Telangana Legislature was adjourned within a minute of its commencement on Tuesday due to the ongoing State Cabinet meeting. This meeting was convened to deliberate on the findings of the Socio-Economic, Education, Employment, Political, and Caste Survey as well as a one-man Judicial Commission regarding the sub-classification of Scheduled Castes.
Both the Assembly and Council were adjourned by presiding officers until 2 p.m. following a government request.
The Cabinet meeting, which was led by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, started at 10 a.m. and was discussing two reports prepared by the relevant Cabinet Sub-Committees when the special session began at 11 a.m.
Upon the Assembly's convening, Legislative Affairs Minister D. Sridhar Babu informed Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar about the ongoing Cabinet meeting and requested an adjournment. A similar request was made by Endowments Minister Konda Surekha in the Legislative Council.
Both reports are expected to be presented in both Houses during the day.
Moreover, the Cabinet was also deliberating on providing 42 per cent reservation for Backward Classes in the upcoming local body elections.
The main opposition party, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), criticized the Congress government for the adjournment, claiming that it showed a lack of respect for the Assembly. They labeled the adjournment within a minute as unprecedented and argued that the Cabinet meeting should have been scheduled prior to the session.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy is anticipated to address the Assembly regarding the caste survey and SC sub-categorization reports, while Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka is expected to make a similar address in the Council.
The Cabinet Sub-Committee, headed by Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, received the caste survey report.
The One-Member Judicial Commission, led by retired High Court judge Justice Shameem Akhtar, submitted its findings on SC sub-classification to the Cabinet Sub-Committee.
This Commission is understood to have recommended the establishment of four sub-categories for fair resource distribution among SC communities.
The Sub-Committee was formed on September 12, 2024, with N. Uttam Kumar Reddy as its chairman and Health Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha as co-chairman to execute the Supreme Court's directive on SC sub-classification.
According to the caste survey report, Backward Classes (BCs) constitute 56.33 per cent of the state’s population, with 10.08 per cent being BC Muslims.
Following discussions on the caste survey report, the Assembly is also poised to pass a resolution urging the Union government to amend the Constitution to surpass the 50 per cent reservation cap set by the Supreme Court.
The findings of the Socio-Economic, Education, Employment, Political, and Caste Survey indicate that 17.43 per cent of the population are Scheduled Castes (SCs), 10.45 per cent are Scheduled Tribes (STs), and 12.56 per cent are Muslims, with 2.48 per cent classified as Other Caste (OC) Muslims. The OCs represent 13.31 per cent of the state's total population.
This extensive door-to-door household survey encompassed 3,54,77,554 individuals and 1,12,15,134 families. Of those surveyed, 50.51 per cent were male and 49.45 per cent were female.
