The Comradeship between TRS and BJP leadership started with Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s unconditional support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s demonetisation move, seems to be taken a severe setback with Rao’s assertion yesterday in the Assembly that he is committed to provide 12 per cent reservation to Muslim and ready to wage legal battle, if the Centre is not cooperative with him in this regard.

For the first time since last two months, BJP leaders came out blatantly denouncing KCR’s policy dubbing it as `vote bank politics”. BJP floor leader in the Assembly G Kishan Reddy said his party was opposed to reservations based on religion and Telangana government’s efforts to give 12 per cent reservations to the Muslims would not stand legal scrutiny.

Stating that the issue was already under the purview of the Supreme Court, he said that the decision of the erstwhile government in combined Andhra Pradesh to give 4 per cent reservations to the Muslims was struck down by the full bench of High Court. He wonder, now how the government promises 12 per cent reservation. Moreover, Kishan Reddy said that the government should not bring in a bill on an issue which was subjudice.

Meanwhile, Telangana BJP’s official spokesperson, Krishna Sagar Rao made it clear that BJP strongly disapproves “this open pandering for Muslim votes by CM KCR being in a constitutional position”. Accused that knowing very well that the reservations limit set by the Supreme Court cannot be violated and very clear SC orders against religion-based reservations, he said KCR is still making this kind of deviant statements.

“His (the Chief Minister’s) designs only expose his pro-Muslim, anti-Hindu, anti BC/SC/ST mind-set”, he said. Stating that as any increased reservation has to be drawn from the quota assigned to BC/SC and STs, he said that BJP considers this as unforgivable misadventure negatively affecting the economically backward classes, in pursuit of public pandering for Muslim votes.