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‘In right spirit’: Rahul on Telangana caste survey
The Congress MP said the level of competence the Telangana Congress leaders had demonstrated was a milestone for social justice in the country
Senior Congress leader and leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said the caste survey conducted by the Telangana government has set a standard for a nationwide caste census and it is a milestone for social justice in the country.
“Revanth Reddy and other party leaders from Telangana have exceeded my expectations. They not only did the caste census but did so exceptionally well and in the right spirit,” Gandhi said, adding that it was an inspiration for the entire nation.
He was addressing a meeting of party MPs and leaders at Indira Bhavan, the new AICC office in New Delhi, where the Telangana chief minister gave a power-point presentation on the caste survey conducted in the state and requested the party MPs to bring pressure on the Centre for approving the bills on implementation of 42% quota for OBCs in education, employment and local bodies.
The Congress MP said the level of competence the Telangana Congress leaders had demonstrated was a milestone for social justice in the country. “It will set the standard for a nationwide caste census, regardless of whether the BJP likes it or not,” he said.
Gandhi said that he had brought pressure on the Telangana government to take up the caste census, though it was not so easy. “You will not get good results by sitting in the office rooms and doing the caste census. The Telangana government conducted a door-to-door survey with 55 questions at the field level. It was no easy task, but they did it with tremendous success. Now, it stands as a model for the entire nation to conduct a similar caste census,” he said.
He said the government has accurate data, it can do anything. “Now, Telangana has reliable data. No other state in India has data as comprehensive as Telangana. This will serve as a model for conducting a caste census across the country,” he said.
Gandhi further said the BJP-led government at the Centre was not sincere in doing a proper caste census. “That party is unwilling to reveal the true picture of the country,” he remarked.
Rahul Gandhi emphasised the power of education in accelerating social development. He said English-medium education is now essential for the country.
“I am not saying Hindi and regional languages are unimportant. They are also important, along with English. But BJP leaders are calling for the removal of English. Ask those BJP leaders – what language are their children studying in? Why shouldn’t Dalit and Adivasi children study in English?” Gandhi questioned.
AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge took to X to express his views on the caste survey. “Congress party’s Social Justice 2.0 —a new movement for social justice, equity and empowerment of the weaker sections has begun in Telangana. Our unwavering fight, spearheaded by Shri @RahulGandhi for justice, is giving voice to the millions from SC, ST, OBC, EWS communities who have been sidelined for decades,” he said.
He said despite forming a vast majority of India’s population, these communities are glaringly absent from top corporate boards, the judiciary, bureaucracy, and premier institutions.
“For instance, even today, there is a Parliamentary answer which says that 80% OBC posts for professors and 83% posts for STs lie vacant in Central universities. Our demand was to conduct a nationwide Caste Census and remove the arbitrary 50% cap on reservations,” he said.
He said the NDA government had accepted to conduct the caste survey under huge public pressure, but without removing the cap. But the scientific manner in which Telangana has conducted its survey must be a role model for the entire nation, he said.
In his presentation, the Telangana chief minister said the Social, Economic, Educational, Employment and Political Caste Survey (SEEEPC) conducted by his government generated over 88 crore pages of data. The survey revealed that OBCs constitute 56.36% of Telangana’s population. “Notably, 3.9% of respondents declared they do not belong to any caste—a first in Telangana—most of whom were identified as highly educated, English-educated individuals,” he said.
Based on the findings, the Telangana assembly passed two bills providing 42% reservations for BCs in local bodies and in education and employment. These have now been sent to the Centre for approval. Revanth urged Congress MPs to push for their passage in Parliament under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge.
“Just as Sonia Gandhi fulfilled the dream of Telangana on December 9, 2009, by announcing statehood, our government has fulfilled Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra promise by completing the caste census,” said Revanth.
Calling the Telangana survey a “RARE (Rahul Gandhi-Revanth Reddy) model,” Revanth Reddy said declared February 4—the survey’s launch day—as ‘Social Justice Day’ in Telangana. Revanth concluded by announcing that while he and his ministers would protest at Jantar Mantar if necessary, he expects Congress MPs to fight in Parliament to secure approval for the BC reservation bills.
