NAVEENA GHANATE
naveena.ghanate@gmail.com
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s emphasis on ‘caste census’ appears to be stuck in Telangana, despite a resolution passed in the state Assembly.
The tenure of the Backward Classes (BC) Commission, headed by Dr Vakulabharanam, is ending on August 31, but the state government has not decided on extending the tenure of the commission appointed by the BRS, or constituting a new one.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has reportedly remained non-committal on the issue, even though similar exercises are on in Karnataka and Bihar and Rahul Gandhi continues to call for a nationwide caste census.
While a Government Order (GO 26) was issued on March 15, 2024, to launch a comprehensive door-to-door household survey, progress has been minimal.
High-level sources indicated that the Terms of Reference (TOR) have not been provided by the government and the tenure of the current BC Commission is nearing its end.
The current commission had prepared an action plan, drafted a methodology, and developed a questionnaire with 63 questions, drawing from the census experiences of other states. However, the commission has not received clear directives from the government, leaving the project in limbo.
Meanwhile, local body and municipal elections are approaching and the percentage of reservations needs to be notified.
Sources allege that a policy decision is still pending for the Rs 150 crore project, and there seems to be a disconnect between the Ministries of Panchayati Raj and BC Welfare.
Sources indicated, “If a notification is issued, it would take 10 days, as the census will be based on the erstwhile 10 districts. The census could be completed in 20 days with one month for analysis and three months to prepare the final report.”
The BC Commission may not receive an extension due to its association with BRS leaders.
Although Revanth Reddy conducted a review meeting on conducting a caste census, no approval was given. Despite this, public funds have already been spent as commission members have travelled extensively.
Sources hinted that if a new commission is constituted there is the possibility of court cases being filed questioning the veracity of the new commission.
Karnataka’s approach, where Siddharamaiah continued with a BJP report without releasing it, could be an option for Telangana to follow. However, experts say that constituting a new commission would mean starting from scratch, including revisiting places and redoing the work.
Sources said that an extension of six months to a year for the current commission could provide clarity on the caste census.
Meanwhile, there are whispers about senior Congress members G. Niranjan and V. Hanumanth Rao being considered for the commission. However, Congress ministers seem divided over holding local body polls due to the alleged negativity among farmers due to the Rythu Bandhu scheme and crop loan waivers.
Meanwhile, Rahul once again advocated a caste census on Saturday at the Samvidhan Samman Sammelan in Prayagraj by asserting that “caste census is my life’s mission” and that “I am ready to pay a political price for it.”
But there is unease in the Congress in both Telangana and Karnataka. While in Telangana the project has not been launched, in Karnataka, the Siddaramaiah government’s inaction in releasing the findings could put a question mark on the credibility of Rahul’s claim.
