After Bihar, Telangana Assembly passes resolution urging Modi government to conduct caste census

The Telangana Assembly today unanimously adopted a resolution urging the central government to conduct a caste-wise census of Backward Classes (BC) as part of the 2021 General Census. The resolution was moved by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao who said that Telangana has over 50 per cent of the total population belonging to the Backward Classes. He said that a caste-based census will help facilitate their upliftment and ensure justice to them in various fields.

The CM also highlighted that many parties and assemblies have been urging the Centre to conduct a caste census.

“In view of the upliftment of poorer sections of society, it is necessary to maintain accurate statistics for taking up various welfare measures for benefiting the poorest of the poor,” said Rao. While moving the resolution, K Chandrasekhar Rao also cited various provisions of the Constitution regarding the Backward Class of citizens.

Speaker Pocharam Srinivasa Reddy later announced that the resolution was adopted unanimously. Three days ago, KCR had voiced his support for the caste-based census for Backward Classes and had said that the Telangana Assembly should pass a resolution and send it to the Centre. The resolution has also maintained that the caste-based census is an administratively difficult and cumbersome exercise, thus, indicating that if the Centre disagrees, the state may not go for the exercise on its own.

It may be recalled that states like Bihar and Maharashtra have been urging the Centre to conduct a caste census. A delegation of Bihar leaders including CM Nitish Kumar and LoP Tejashwi Yadav had met PM Narendra Modi in August with regards to the caste census. CM Nitish Kumar had indicated that if the Centre won’t conduct a caste census, the Bihar government may do it at its own cost.

The Modi government had on September 23 informed the Supreme Court that conducting a caste census of Backward Classes is administratively difficult and cumbersome. It had also contended that caste enumeration in Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 was fraught with mistakes and inaccuracies.