Hyderabad: Opposition parties questioned the sincerity and commitment of the Telangana government in increasing reservations for Muslims and Scheduled Tribes. They found fault with the government for combining Muslims and ST reservations in a single Bill and introducing it in the Legislature for approval. The parties claimed that by combining both of them, the government pushed the new quota law into legal trouble.

Opposition parties — the Congress, BJP and the TD — raised the issue in the House during the debate on TS quota Bill. Congress MLA T. Jeevan Reddy said, “There are several loopholes in the Bill which cannot stand legal scrutiny. It appears like the government simply brought in the quota Bill for the sake of approval in Legislature. Nothing happens just by making the Bill passed in Legislature. The government should also take the responsibility of getting the Centre’s nod.”

MIM MLA Pasha Quadri asked the government to place eight per cent enhanced quota under new category BC-F so that the existing four per cent quota under BC-E does not face legal problem on the account of fresh increase. Otherwise, he said Muslims may face the risk of losing reservations altogether.