Kavitha demands clarity on caste census, criticises BJP and Congress for failing BCs

Highlighting the contributions of the previous KCR government, Kavitha said regional parties have consistently worked towards uplifting BCs, unlike national parties that have ignored their constitutional rights

Hyderabad: BRS MLC K Kavitha trained her guns at the Congress and BJP over their failure to address the demands of the Backward Classes (BC) community through a caste census. She charged both national parties with betraying the BC community and demanded that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi explain why the Congress, despite ruling the country for over 55 years, failed to conduct a caste census. She also questioned why the caste census conducted in Karnataka under Congress rule was not made public.

She lambasted the BJP, stating that the party’s policies have historically been anti-BC, SC, and ST, alleging that this bias is deeply embedded in its ideology. She recalled the BJP-led Central government’s affidavit in the Supreme Court, where it categorically stated it would not conduct a caste census.

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Speaking to the media after submitting a detailed 35-page report to the BC Dedicated Commission Chairman B Venkateshwara Rao, Kavitha explained the significant role of regional parties in empowering BC communities, citing examples of leadership under Jayalalithaa in Tamil Nadu, NTR and Chandrababu Naidu in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, and K Chandrashekhar Rao in Telangana. She asserted that it was the regional parties that brought political and economic justice to BCs while national parties have ignored their constitutional rights.

Further, the BRS MLC emphasised the need for the commission to function independently. She highlighted the lapses in providing the necessary resources including personnel and material to the commission and criticised the procedural gaps in the ongoing door-to-door surveys. She demanded that the State government clear the apprehensions within BC communities and ensure that the commission has the infrastructure to carry out its responsibilities effectively.

She also criticised the Congress for failing to honour its promises in the Kamareddy Declaration, which included a commitment to provide 42 percent reservations for BCs in local bodies. MLC Kavitha demanded that the Congress clarify the legal validity of conducting a caste census and address the concerns of the BC community.

Calling for comprehensive justice for BCs, Kavitha urged the commission to go beyond political reservations and tackle the pressing socio-economic issues faced by the BC community. She reiterated her demand for answers from the Congress on its delay in operationalizing the BC Commission over the past 11 months and criticized the BJP’s opposition to the caste census. Kavitha concluded by urging the state government to demonstrate sincerity in conducting the caste census and ensuring justice for BCs, dispelling doubts and delays in the process.

The BRS MLC also called out the Congress for failing to implement promises made in the Kamareddy Declaration, including a commitment to provide 42 per cent reservations for BCs in local bodies. “The Congress government must honour its word and clarify whether its guarantees will be fulfilled,” she asked.

She urged the dedicated BC Commission to function independently and not restrict its recommendations to political reservations but also address other pressing issues faced by BCs. “The BJP’s anti-caste census stance and Congress’s failure to operationalize the BC Commission in the last 11 months reflect their lack of commitment to BC empowerment,” Kavitha asserted.

Demanding answers, Kavitha criticised the delay in setting up necessary infrastructure for the BC Commission and raised concerns over incomplete initiatives, such as household surveys in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts. “The Congress government must dispel doubts about its stance on the caste census and ensure justice for BCs,” she said.