Hyderabad: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday endorsed the Telangana caste census as a blueprint for nationwide replication, hailing it as a defining step toward targeted development and social justice.
Speaking after a presentation on the Telangana Socio-Economic Caste Survey 2024 in New Delhi, Kharge credited Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy for initiating a “courageous” caste enumeration in the face of institutional resistance. He said the state had “provided a new direction to the entire country” and called for unity among backward classes, Scheduled Castes, and minorities to bolster Congress’ national base.
Kharge also praised Gandhi’s push for caste census and constitutional protections, attributing the Centre’s partial shift on the issue to pressure from Congress. “Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan” is Gandhi’s slogan to save the Constitution, Kharge said.
Rahul Gandhi said the Telangana survey had set a national benchmark with its methodology and depth. He emphasised the role of data as a modern tool of governance and claimed that no other Indian state currently possessed Telangana’s capacity for evidence-based development.
“The state asked 56 questions not just within bureaucratic rooms, but on the ground to record education, caste, and power access,” he said, calling it a model for how caste data should be collected.
Gandhi also defended the Revanth Reddy government’s move to raise reservations beyond the 50% constitutional limit. He said the bill pending with the President had the potential to “destroy the politics of Hindutva” and highlighted BJP’s opposition to lifting the cap.
He warned that the BJP would not conduct a genuine caste census, accusing it of hiding the true socio-economic status of OBCs, Dalits, tribals, and even general castes.
Citing inputs from the census’s expert committee, Gandhi said education not land or wealth had emerged as the strongest marker of social power in Telangana. He urged promotion of English alongside regional languages, criticising BJP leaders who oppose English even as they educate their children in English-medium schools.
Revanth Reddy detailed the state’s process, joined by AICC general secretary KC Venugopal, Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy, and Congress leaders including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
