Hyderabad, February 4: Sanathnagar MLA and senior BRS leader Talasani Srinivas Yadav raised concerns over the Telangana caste census, alleging inaccuracies and procedural flaws.
Speaking in the special session of Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, he accused the Congress government of conducting a flawed survey that failed to capture the actual population statistics of BCs, SCs, and STs.
Yadav criticised the methodology, stating that 57 parameters were included in the survey, which led to confusion and discouraged public participation. He claimed that many people refused to take part due to the complexity of the questions. “In Greater Hyderabad alone, 30% of residents did not participate in the survey,” he alleged.
He also expressed concerns about the reported decline in BC, SC, and ST population figures, questioning whether the government was deliberately misrepresenting the numbers. “Telangana consists of nearly 90% marginalized communities, including Dalits, tribals, and minorities,” he said. Yadav further questioned why the Assembly session was scheduled for just one day, accusing the Congress government of attempting to suppress discussion on the issue.
The BRS leader also criticized the sudden adjournment of the Assembly session. He claimed that Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar adjourned the session within a minute of Minister Sridhar Babu’s statement, without allowing the opposition to respond. He called this an attempt to stifle debate.
Srinivas Yadav demanded a re-survey, arguing that an incomplete census could create long-term problems. “Only a 100% accurate survey will have real value. If the data is flawed, future policies will suffer,” he warned. He suggested simplifying the caste survey by focusing on basic details like caste, region, and family background. He insisted that adding too many parameters discouraged participation, making the results unreliable.
Additionally, he pointed out discrepancies between the caste census data and the Election Commission’s voter records from the 2011 Census. He called for legal backing to ensure that caste-based reservations in local body elections are implemented fairly.
