HYDERABAD

The Telangana Assembly on Friday adopted a resolution unopposed requesting the Union Government for inclusion of BC/OBC in the second phase questionnaire of the Census-2027 with a separate column to collect data as is the provision for SC, ST communities. The ruling Congress, AIMIM and CPI supported the resolution, while BJP staged a walk-out protesting the government failure to implement the BC Declaration.

However, the BJP members and treasury benches engaged in a war of words on their parties’ efforts for BCs’ development, with the two sides blaming each other for neglecting the BC communities for a long time, during a short discussion on the matter.

Congress members Adi Srinivas, Makkan Singh Raj Thakur, K. Anil Kumar Reddy, K. Shankaraiah, V. Naveen Yadav and BeerlaI llaiah and Danam Nagender of the BRS, as also Ministers M. Bhatti Vikramarka, Ponnam Prabhakar, Vakiti Srihari, D. Sridhar Babu, D. Seethakka pointed out that the second phase questionnaire pertaining to the Census 2027 had no separate column for collection data/information about BC/OBC communities and demanded that the Centre make changes in the questionnaire appropriately.

Mohd. Majid Hussain of AIMIM and K. Sambasiva Rao of CPI also supported the resolution. BJP members Payal Shankar and A. Maheshwar Reddy asked when the government would implement the Kamareddy BC Declaration and where the ₹20,000 crore budgetary allocation for the BC Sub-Plan for the last three years went.

Members of the treasury benches said a caste census, particularly of BC/OBC communities who make up more than 50% of the population, was necessary for social justice, and that the numbers would help do justice to Backward Classes. They also wanted implementation of reservation in the private sector too. Further, they suggested relaxation in the matter of creamy layers in BCs as was the provision for SC and ST communities.

Minister Mr. Prabhakar stated that it was after a scientific data collection, the State government had decided to provide 42% reservation to BCs against their population of 56% and a plea was sent to the Centre for relaxing the ceiling on total reservation to implement higher quota for BCs.