He described the caste census as the “Bible, Gita, and Quran” for all weaker sections, stressing its critical role in ensuring social justice.
Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said that the state government will pass legislation enhancing the reservation for BCs to 42 per cent in education, employment and political representation in the Legislative Assembly in the first week of March.
He made this announcement during a meeting with BC leaders and BC associations seeking their feedback on the proposed BC quota enhancement bill here on Saturday.
Reddy accused BRS and BJP leaders of spreading misinformation about the caste census conducted by the state government, alleging that their aim was to derail the enhancement of BC reservations. He reiterated that the Congress government was committed to fulfilling its promises and ensuring social justice for BCs.
He urged BC leaders to hold caste-based meetings and adopt resolutions approving BC quota enhancement legislation and caste census report by March 10 to strengthen their demand for political, educational and employment benefits.
He described the caste census as the “Bible, Gita, and Quran” for all weaker sections, stressing its critical role in ensuring social justice.
“My responsibility ends with the completion of the process of making legislation on the BC quota and giving legal status to the caste survey. Now, it is your turn to take it forward until it reaches its goal,” he told BC representatives.
Underscoring the significance of the caste census, he quoted Rahul Gandhi, who described it as an “X-ray of society”. He recalled that during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi had pledged to conduct a caste census once Congress assumed power in Telangana.
“The Gandhi family has always honoured its promises, and we have conducted the caste census in Telangana as part of our commitment,” he said. He said that no other state had dared to take up such an ambitious task, which proves that Telangana's leadership is committed to implement social justice policies.
He criticised the BRS government for not disclosing details of the intensive household survey conducted in 2014, claiming that it was riddled with errors. He alleged that the survey was used only for electoral purposes and not for the welfare of the people.
To ensure accuracy, the Congress government constituted a cabinet sub-committee on caste census and entrusted the state planning department with its execution.
Reddy dared Bandi Sanjay Kumar, G. Kishan Reddy, and K. Chandrasekhar Rao to pinpoint specific errors in the census.
The Chief Minister claimed that the BJP opposed the caste census because it feared that a few dominant groups in the party would suffer if the BC population figures were declared officially.
According to him, the BRS survey projected BCs at 51 per cent, whereas the new caste census found that the BC population was 56.33 per cent.
"How can they spread lies that there was a drop in BC population in Telangana," Reddy wondered.
He criticised BJP leaders for misleading people by falsely claiming that BC jobs and reservations would be lost due to the caste census. He urged BC leaders to counter such propaganda and take up awareness campaigns.
The Chief Minister challenged the BJP to include a caste-based survey in the national census to establish transparency. As part of the meeting, a resolution was adopted demanding that the central government incorporate caste data collection in the national census.
