Hyderabad – Union Minister G Kishan Reddy has made it clear that the Central government will not follow Telangana’s caste census model, calling it flawed and incomplete. He confirmed that the nationwide census will include caste data, but only after proper legal steps are taken.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Reddy said the government needs to amend the Census Act of 1948 to officially include caste as a category. He stated that this change will be taken up in the next Parliament session. Until then, the Centre will not move ahead with the caste-based census.
Reddy strongly criticized the Congress party, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, and Rahul Gandhi, accusing them of misleading the public. He said people across Telugu states and elsewhere no longer trust their claims, especially regarding support for Backward Classes (BCs).
He pointed out that although BCs make up about 42% of the population, both Congress and BRS have failed to give them proper reservations. He also stated that the caste census in Telangana and Karnataka lacks reliability and is nothing more than a basic survey. He questioned how Telangana could claim completion when less than half the population has been counted.
Reddy firmly said that the Centre will not include Muslims in the BC category under any circumstance. He accused the Congress of trying to manipulate BC reservations to include all Muslims, claiming this was part of the party’s history of dividing communities based on religion. He also alleged that Congress has used SCs, STs, and BCs only for vote-bank politics.
Highlighting the BJP’s efforts, Reddy said the party has worked towards SC categorization and has already submitted detailed information to the Supreme Court on the Madiga reservation issue. He credited the NDA government for giving legal powers to the National BC Commission in 2018, and for introducing 10% reservations for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and 33% reservations for women.
He recalled that senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj had written to the then Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in support of a caste census. Even during Dr Manmohan Singh’s government, a sub-committee was formed to look into it. In 2011, the BJP once again backed the idea.
For the BJP, Reddy said, the caste census is a way to bring social and economic progress for all communities. He stressed that the party supports it not for politics, but to ensure fair development and equal opportunities.
