Telangana CM Revanth does another volte-face, this time on caste survey

Says the 42 per cent reservation for Backward Classes will require an amendment to the Constitution and not just the survey

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who promised 42 per cent reservations for Backward Classes (BC) based on the Social, Economic, Employment, Education, Political, and Caste Survey-2024, did another volte-face in the Assembly on Tuesday, refusing to table the complete report on the survey in the Assembly and more importantly, by stating that the 42 per cent reservation would require an amendment to the Constitution and not just the survey.

Rather than offering clarity, his statements exposed contradictions, raising serious questions about the government’s political intent and execution of the survey itself, instead of a genuine attempt at social justice.

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Participating in a discussion on his statement on the survey in the Assembly on Tuesday, Revanth Reddy, who had earlier projected the survey as a foundation for 42 per cent reservation for BCs, made a U-turn, admitting that such a move required a Constitutional amendment.

In a clear political manoeuvre, he promised 42 per cent ticket allocation to BCs in the upcoming local body elections, making it evident that the survey was more about political posturing than policy implementation.

Revanth Reddy went on to criticise the Samagra Kutumba Survey (SKS) report under the previous BRS government, questioning its legitimacy and data collection process.

When the opposition, especially AIMIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi, pointed out the hypocrisy, stating that while the Congress government slammed the BRS for withholding the SKS report, it was now doing the exact same thing by keeping the survey data off the Telangana government’s official website, Revanth Reddy dodged an answer and refused to table the complete report.

When Opposition parties, including the BRS, BJP and AIMIM questioned the discrepancies in the data released by the State government, the Chief Minister sought to blame BRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao along with former Ministers KT Rama Rao and T Harish Rao for not participating in the survey.

He claimed that this resulted in its failure to cover the entire population, indirectly admitting discrepancies. However, instead of addressing Opposition concerns, he challenged them to commit to the same 42 per cent ticket allocation for BCs in local polls.

Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu attempted damage control, citing data privacy concerns and the sheer volume of the report — four volumes with over 1,000 pages — as reasons for not tabling it in the Assembly in full. However, Owaisi retorted by demanding at least a concise version be tabled in the House to ensure legal sanctity.

Adding fuel to the fire, former Minister and BRS MLA Talasani Srinivas Yadav along with BJP MLA Payal Shankar flagged discrepancies in the Chief Minister’s statement regarding BC and OC population statistics.

Instead of addressing their concerns, Revanth Reddy dodged direct answers, choosing to attack Chandrashekhar Rao and other BRS leaders for not participating in the survey. Amidst rising tensions, Sridhar Babu delivered another contradiction, stating that the government had never promised to table the full report and had come only to present a statement upon the Speaker’s request.