Andhra Pradesh: Caste Census Vital for BCs, Says BSP Leader

 Vijayawada: State coordinator of the Bahujan Samaj Party, Poorna chandra Rao, has said the AP politics is dominated by two dominant castes while others remained on the sidelines. “Caste Census is the only solution for the development of suppressed communities,” he said.

Speaking at the BC Sabha round table meeting here on Tuesday, he said the BCs were traditionally being marginalized in terms of their political representation. “Caste census is our primary demand. The BC Protection Act must be implemented immediately,” he said.

Poorna chandra Rao said the backward communities faced severe social and political injustice even after 77 years of Independence. Until 1983, the state was ruled by a single caste, the Reddys. Thereafter, power was being shared between two dominant castes, the Reddys and Kammas. This left the SCs, STs, BCs, minorities and others marginalized and neglected. They faced perpetual political underrepresentation, he said.

The BSP leader said a caste census was an urgent and historical necessity. Proportional political representation for BCs and the long-promised reservations for them in legislative bodies and local bodies could only be realized through a comprehensive caste census, he said.

Rao said that among the 242 sub-castes in the state, over 50 per cent belonged to the BCs. In terms of population, SCs constituted about 20 per cent and STs about 7 per cent. However, despite the Reddys making up 6 per cent and the Kammas 5 per cent of the population, the allocation of seats for Parliament, state assembly and local bodies was heavily weighed in their favour, he said.