Hyderabad, Telangana | October 19, 2025
Telangana ground to a virtual halt on Sunday as a statewide bandh called by Backward Classes (BC) organizations over stalled reservation demands brought public transport to a screeching stop, stranding thousands and exposing raw political nerves. While buses, autos, and trains wore a deserted look across major cities, a bitter blame game unfolded among the ruling Congress, opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), and BJP, with each party vying to position itself as the true champion of the aggrieved communities—yet hurling accusations of betrayal and opportunism at rivals.
The 12-hour shutdown, spearheaded by a coalition of over 20 BC associations under the Joint Action Committee (JAC), was a resounding success in disrupting normalcy, though marred by sporadic violence. In Hyderabad's bustling Secunderabad junction, protesters clashed with police, leading to the detention of 45 agitators after stones pelted at RTC buses damaged windscreens and injured two constables. Similar scenes played out in Warangal and Nizamabad, where effigy burnings of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and former CM K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) drew crowds chanting "Justice for BCs or No Elections." The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) reported over 5,000 buses idled, with losses estimated at ₹50 crore, while schools and colleges remained shuttered in solidarity.
At the epicenter of the fury is the long-festering demand for a hike in BC quota—from the current 29% to 42%—in local body elections, jobs, and education, mirroring promises in the Congress manifesto that have since evaporated amid legal hurdles and internal party squabbles. The JAC, led by firebrand activist R. Krishna Madiga, accused the government of "empty rhetoric," pointing to the Supreme Court's 50% reservation cap as a convenient excuse. "We've waited five years; no more delays. If Revanth ji can't deliver, step aside for those who will," Madiga thundered at a packed rally in Osmania University, where over 10,000 turned up despite the heat.
The ruling Congress, caught off-guard by the band's ferocity, extended cautious support while deflecting blame onto the previous BRS regime. IT Minister D. Sridhar Babu, addressing a presser from the Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station, lauded the protesters' "legitimate grievances" and announced a high-level committee to revisit the quota formula by November 15. "We hear the BC voice loud and clear—unlike KCR's era, where promises were buried in pink files," Babu sniped, referencing the BRS's unfulfilled 42% pledge from 2018. CM Reddy, campaigning in Adilabad, struck a conciliatory tone via X: "Bandh is a cry for justice, not chaos. Congress stands with every BC family; talks begin tomorrow." Yet, party insiders whisper of rifts, with BC legislators like D. Nagender pushing for immediate legislative action to preempt electoral backlash ahead of the 2026 polls.
The BRS, licking wounds from its 2023 drubbing, seized the moment to reclaim its pro-BC mantle, accusing Congress of "stealing our thunder and delivering nothing." Working President K.T. Rama Rao (KTR) led a delegation to meet JAC leaders at their Hyderabad headquarters, pledging ₹100 crore from party coffers for legal battles against the quota cap. "Revanth Reddy is the real saboteur—his government filed affidavits in court diluting our hard-won gains," KTR alleged on a live X Space that drew 50,000 listeners. KCR, from his farmhouse, issued a video statement invoking the BRS's legacy: "We gave BCs dignity; Congress gives them dharna dates. The bandh is our collective pain." The party's overtures paid dividends, with some JAC factions praising BRS for "genuine empathy" over Congress's "PR stunts."
Not to be outdone, the BJP waded into the fray with a mix of solidarity and sharp barbs, framing the unrest as a "Congress-BRS cartel failure." State president G. Kishan Reddy, flanked by BC Morcha activists in a Khammam roadshow, declared unconditional backing for the bandh and demanded President's Rule if the government "suppresses the voiceless." "Modi ji's vision is 50% for SCs, STs, OBCs—why can't Revanth deliver even 42%? Because he's beholden to his high-command puppeteers," Reddy roared, drawing cheers from a 2,000-strong crowd. Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy (no relation) amplified the call nationally, tweeting: "Telangana's BCs deserve better than this blame-shifting circus. BJP will legislate quotas sans fear." Critics, however, dismissed the saffron overtures as "election-time posturing," noting BJP's national resistance to sub-categorization within OBCs.
As dusk fell, the bandh's embers smoldered into candlelight vigils in Karimnagar and Mahabubnagar, where women-led BC groups vowed to intensify stirs with hunger fasts if unmet by week's end. Economists warn of ripple effects: the transport paralysis could shave 0.2% off Telangana's Q4 GDP, hitting migrant workers hardest. With Diwali just days away, the quota standoff threatens to overshadow festivities, turning a demand for equity into a litmus test for the state's fractured politics.
For the JAC's Madiga, the finger-pointing is beside the point: "Parties can rally all they want—deliver or dissolve." As Hyderabad's streets emptied into uneasy quiet, one thing rang clear: in Telangana's quota chessboard, every move risks checkmate for the ruling rook. Negotiations resume Monday, but the board is set for a protracted gambit.
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