Telangana: BC bodies demand caste-based Census

Hyderabad: Unless the Central government takes up the caste-based Census to ascertain the population of backward classes (BC) in the country, the BC organisations in the State have vowed not to vote for the BJP in future. They have also decided to campaign against the BJP in all elections across the country if the BJP […]

Hyderabad: Unless the Central government takes up the caste-based Census to ascertain the population of backward classes (BC) in the country, the BC organisations in the State have vowed not to vote for the BJP in future. They have also decided to campaign against the BJP in all elections across the country if the BJP government continues to ignore their repeated pleas. They stated that the Modi-led government might have to pay a hefty price for not taking up the caste-based Census in the country.

Addressing the all-party and BC organisations meeting demanding for caste-based Census in Hyderabad on Wednesday, National BC Welfare Association president R Krishnaiah said it was unfortunate that BCs had to seek reservations even 75 years of Indian independence. He said the Centre needs to add only one column in addition to the existing 34 columns in the Census survey, for caste-based population enumeration and he did not see why the BJP government at the Centre was not inclined to consider the demand.

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“BJP appears to be an anti-BC party. The BC population can be ascertained precisely only during the Census survey to be taken up soon as the government employees will conduct door-to-door visit. It appears that the BJP is not inclined to take up caste-based Census as it would force them to implement population-based reservations as was recommended by numerous Constitutional and Judicial committees constituted in the past,” he said, warning that if the BJP does not change its attitude, the BCs who form 56 per cent of the population will not vote for BJP.

Krishnaiah questioned the BJP’s commitment for BC welfare as it was not ready to establish a separate Ministry for BC Welfare and had allotted just Rs 1,000 crore for BC welfare against the Union Budget of over Rs 34 lakh crore. “We too are Hindus and sons of this soil. If the BJP continues to do injustice to BCs, we will not allow the BJP Union Ministers and leaders to step in the Telugu States,” he warned. He stated that the BJP might have given a few posts to the BC leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but it should also give him enough power to empower the BCs.

Congress leaders V Hanumantha Rao and Mallu Ravi, TRS leader L Ramana, Telangana Jana Samithi president M Kodandaram and many other BC leaders from various political parties, BC organisations and student leaders also spoke at the meeting.

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