Batting for BCs, Revanth asks KCR to hold caste census in Telangana

HYDERABAD: TPCC chief A. Revanth Reddy on Tuesday demanded that the state government hold a caste census in Telangana to determine the population of Backward Classes, on the lines of a recent such survey done in Bihar.

In an open letter to Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, Revanth Reddy said that only a caste census would ensure social, economic, and political justice for the BCs community. He also asked Rao to make public the figures of the Samgra Kutumba Survey (comprehensive household survey) conducted by the BRS government in 2014.

“There has been a long-pending demand from BCs in the state for holding caste-wise census. The Congress also extended complete support to their demand.

The Congress took part in all the agitation programmes organised by BCs to press for their demand,” the TPCC chief said.

He said that party senior leader Rahul Gandhi had raised the demand for holding a nationwide BC census in the recently concluded special session of Parliament.

“The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar, which is a coalition of the JDU, the RJD, and the Congress, which are part of the I.N.D.I.A block, successfully completed the caste census recently despite the BJP-led government at the Centre creating hurdles. They even released caste-wise census results on October 2,” he said.

Saying that the Constitution of India had guaranteed freedom, equality, social, economic, and political justice to all sections of society, he said: “Even after 75 years of Independence, there is not much improvement in the conditions of BCs, who comprise more than half of India's population.”

Revanth Reddy pointed out that the government conducts livestock census and tiger census and questioned its opposition to a caste census.

“Governments still rely on the census figures released by the British government in India to determine the BC population. Due to this, BC sections are lagging behind socially and economically, suffering a lot.

If caste census is done, the governments will have the opportunity to implement reservations for BCs in education and employment more effectively,” Revanth Reddy said.

The census will also help ascertain which sections of BCs could not avail of reservations so far. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who claims to be a BC, too, is not willing to fulfill the just demand of BCs for holding caste census,” Revanth Reddy said.