“The BJP will never carry out a caste census properly — they cannot afford to show the true condition of OBCs, Dalits, tribals, and even the general category castes to the nation,” Rahul Gandhi said.
NEW DELHI — Senior Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, on Thursday lauded the Telangana government for conducting a comprehensive caste census, calling it a bold step with far-reaching implications for social justice and inclusive governance. They said that removing reservation bar would destroy the politics of Hindutva.
Addressing an event following the release of the ‘Telangana Socio-Economic, Educational, Employment, Political & Caste Survey 2024’, Kharge said the state had shown the way for the rest of the country. “It is a courageous and historic decision by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to undertake this caste census. There will always be resistance from vested interests, but Telangana has taken the lead,” Kharge said.
The Congress president called for greater unity among backward classes, Scheduled Castes, and minorities, stating that their collective support could significantly strengthen the Congress party’s electoral prospects. “If these sections unite socially and politically and rally behind the Congress, we can secure 60 to 70 per cent support across the country,” he asserted.
Kharge also credited Rahul Gandhi for reviving the national discourse on caste-based data and constitutional protection. “Rahul Gandhi not only demanded a caste census but also raised the slogan of ‘Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan’ to save the Constitution,” he said, adding that it was due to Gandhi’s pressure that Prime Minister Modi was compelled to include caste census in the proposed general census framework.
Rahul Gandhi, in his address, praised CM Revanth Reddy for exceeding expectations. “This is not just a caste survey—it sets a new national benchmark for how it should be done,” he said.
Gandhi highlighted that the Telangana caste census was not designed behind bureaucratic doors but was shaped through public engagement, with 56 well-thought-out questions covering caste, education, power distribution, and other critical indicators. “Power in the 21st century is defined by data. And today, Telangana has the most powerful dataset in the country for targeted development,” he said.
The Congress leader emphasised that no other state currently has the infrastructure or depth of information to plan development as effectively as Telangana now does. He particularly noted the state’s second significant step — passing a bill to remove the 50% ceiling on reservations in education, government jobs, and Panchayati Raj institutions.
“That single move,” Gandhi said, “has the potential to dismantle the politics of Hindutva.”
Gandhi also referred to Telangana’s second move after the caste census: that of removing the 50 per cent bar on reservations for education, government jobs, and Panchayati Raj institutions. He said the state government has already referred the bill to the president, but the BJP was not allowing it.
“Removing the bar on reservation in education, government jobs, and Panchayati Raj institutions has the potential to destroy the politics of Hindutva,” he underlined.
He alleged that Telangana government has referred the bill to the President, the BJP is obstructing the process. “The BJP will never carry out a caste census properly — they cannot afford to show the true condition of OBCs, Dalits, tribals, and even the general category castes to the nation,” he added.
Gandhi also revealed that according to expert findings from the survey, education, not land or wealth, is now seen as the biggest symbol of empowerment in Telangana. Stressing the importance of promoting English alongside Hindi and regional languages, he took a jibe at BJP leaders who criticize English: “Ask them where their children study — they’re all in English-medium schools,” he said.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy presented key findings of the caste census during the event. Other senior leaders present included AICC general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Telangana Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy, and several Congress MPs and party functionaries.
