HYDERABAD: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has welcomed the Central government’s decision to conduct a caste census, describing it as a vindication of both Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s vision and Telangana’s pioneering efforts in this direction.
In a tweet posted on Wednesday, Revanth Reddy said that the demand for a nation-wide caste census was first raised by Rahul Gandhi during his Bharat Jodo Yatra, and Telangana had led the way by conducting a caste survey last year. He stated that this was the first such survey in independent India since the British-conducted enumeration in 1931.
“A state-wide comprehensive Social, Economic, and Caste Survey was conducted and found that 56.32 percent of the population belongs to the Backward Castes,” he said.
He noted that, based on the findings of this report tabled in the Telangana Legislative Assembly, the state resolved to propose 42 percent reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in education, employment, and political representation.
The Chief Minister also highlighted the role of the Telangana unit of the Indian National Congress in taking the issue nationwide. He recalled that Congress leaders had staged protests, including at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, demanding that the Central government agree to a caste census.
“Today, finally, we proved that what Telangana does today, India will follow tomorrow,” Revanth Reddy declared.
He called it a proud moment for the Congress party that Rahul Gandhi’s vision, even from the opposition benches, had influenced national policy. He asserted that Telangana’s action on OBC empowerment had inspired the rest of the country.
Revanth Reddy also congratulated the Union government and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Cabinet for approving the caste census as part of the upcoming national enumeration exercise.
Based on the vision and direction of
Shri @RahulGandhi Ji who first demanded a nation-wide Caste Census during his historic #BharatJodoYatra Telangana is the first State to conduct caste survey last year.This was the first in Independent #India, the last one being in 1931 by… pic.twitter.com/7dNABdwqM7
— Revanth Reddy (@revanth_anumula) April 30, 2025
