‘Exceeded expectations’: Gandhi, Kharge hail Telangana caste census, say data will define growth

New Delhi: Telangana Caste Census was hailed by the senior Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who congratulated the Telangana State government for carrying out a meaningful and broad-based caste census.

CM Revanth Reddy, deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka, irrigation minister Uttam Kumar Reddy, minister for forests Konda Surekha and Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president Mahesh Kumar Goud presented the caste census details along with the independent members of the expert committee.

‘Exceeded expectations’

Rahul Gandhi congratulated CM Reddy, saying that he had exceeded his expectations by carrying out a detailed and in-depth caste census in the State. “This will define how the caste census is done in the rest of India,” he remarked about the Telangana Caste Census.

Data will define development, says Rahul

Rahul Gandhi said, “In the 1950s and 60s, people talked about oil, but now it is data which is going to define the development of the nation. Data will help to provide education, health and create the roadmap of socio-economic governance for the State. Data will help in the street-to-street development. This can be the vision for Telangana.”

56 questions

The 56 questions of the caste census were defined by experts from different walks of life belonging to different communities and occupational groups, explained Rahul Gandhi: “This census gives Telangana the ability to target development and that is what the BJP does not want. The BJP does not like the caste census as it does not want to give reservations and risk the destruction of Hindutva politics.”

‘Removing bar on reservation can destroy Hindutva politics’

Gandhi also referred to Telangana’s second move after the caste census, 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 is 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 observed.

‘BJP will not do the right way’

Expressing apprehensions about the BJP carrying out the caste census, Rahul Gandhi said, “The BJP is not going to do the caste census in the right way. They cannot do it as they cannot tell the people of India what their true condition is—whether they are the OBCs, the Dalits, the tribals or even the General Castes.”

‘Education is a symbol of power’

Quoting the expert committee members on the caste census, Gandhi disclosed that in Telangana, education is ranked as the topmost symbol of power and not land or other assets.

In this context, he underlined the need for promoting English education along with Hindi and the regional languages.

Taking a dig at the BJP leaders for opposing the English language, Rahul Gandhi said, if anybody asks the same BJP leaders where their children are studying, they will all be studying in English-medium schools.

Resistance in certain quarters

Congress president Kharge said that Telangana State had provided a new direction to the entire country. He said it was really a courageous step by CM Reddy to carry out the caste census, as there could always be some resistance from certain quarters.

Kharge called for unity between the BCs, the SCs and the minorities. He said once they come together socially and politically and support the Congress, the party may get ‘more than 70 per cent support across the country.’

The Congress president had special praise for Rahul Gandhi, saying that it was he who not only raised the issue of the caste census but also saved the Constitution with his slogan of ‘Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidan.’ He pointed out that it was because of Gandhi’s pressure that PM Modi was forced to include the caste census in the proposed general census.