HYDERABAD:

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Thursday called for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to become Prime Minister, saying his leadership would help ensure justice and political empowerment for Backward Classes (BCs).

Speaking at an event marking the 174th birth anniversary of social reformer Panduga Sayanna Mudiraj, Revanth urged people to support Rahul in the next Lok Sabha elections. He said the Gandhi family had earlier backed leaders such as Manmohan Singh, P.V. Narasimha Rao and I.K. Gujral for the Prime Minister’s post and should now take responsibility for leading the country.

Revanth announced that a Cabinet sub-committee would examine the Mudiraj community’s demand to be moved from the BC-D to BC-A category. The issue would be taken up at the next Cabinet meeting, with officials and legal experts consulted. He also asked BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar to discuss the concerns of other communities over reservation benefits.

Highlighting his government’s caste survey, Revanth said it had enabled communities to raise concerns about their representation. He also cited welfare measures, including the distribution of free fine rice to 3.48 crore people through the Public Distribution System, and announced plans to install statues of Panduga Sayanna and Doddi Komuraiah on Tank Bund in Hyderabad.