BC groups seek assurance on caste census during PM’s Hyderabad visit

Hyderabad- National BC Dal president Dundra Kumaraswamy on Friday urged the Union government to provide a clear assurance on conducting a caste census for Backward Classes and include an OBC column in the proposed digital census exercise. Addressing an all-party meeting organised under the aegis of the BC Reservations Sadhana Samanyaya JAC, he said that social justice could be achieved only when “social realities are officially acknowledged and brought into the public domain.”

Referring to PM Narendra Modi’s proposed visit to Hyderabad on May 10, Kumaraswamy said BC communities welcomed the visit but expected clarity from the Centre on measures taken for their welfare over the past decade. While Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy had repeatedly stated that the Centre was according priority to Telangana’s development, the government must also explain what specific importance was being given to the welfare, representation and advancement of BC communities, which constitute a substantial section of the State’s population, he said.

Kumaraswamy expressed concern over the absence of an OBC column in the ongoing digital census initiative, stating that BC organisations had been demanding a caste census for decades. Without reliable population data, it would be difficult to assess the socio-economic, educational and political status of BC communities or formulate effective welfare policies, he observed. He also questioned the absence of a sub-quota for OBC women in the Women’s Reservation Bill and said reservations should reflect population proportions. Warning that continued neglect of BC concerns could trigger wider discontent, he urged the Prime Minister to make a clear announcement on BC caste census and reservation issues during the Hyderabad meeting. Leaders of various caste associations and BC organisations, including National BC Dal GHMC vice-president Sandeep and Ramana Raju, participated in the meeting.