BCs Seek Caste Census Assurance During PM's Visit

National BC Dal president Dundra Kumaraswamy on Friday urged the Union government to provide a clear assurance on conducting a caste census for Backward Classes and to include an OBC column in the proposed digital census exercise.

Addressing an all-party meeting organised by the BC Reservations Sadhana Samanyaya JAC, he said that social justice could be achieved only when social realities were officially acknowledged and brought into the public domain.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's proposed visit to Hyderabad on May 10, Kumaraswamy said that BC communities welcomed the visit but expected clarity from the Centre on the measures taken for their welfare over the past decade.

"While Union Minister Kishan Reddy has repeatedly said that the Centre is according priority to Telangana's development, the government must also explain what specific importance is being given to the welfare, representation and advancement of BC communities, which constitute a substantial section of the State's population," he said.

Kumaraswamy expressed concern over the absence of an OBC column in the ongoing digital census initiative, and said that BC organisations had been demanding a caste census for decades. Without reliable population data, it would be difficult to assess the socio-economic, educational and political status of BC communities or formulate effective welfare policies, he claimed.

Kumaraswamy also questioned the absence of a sub-quota for OBC women in the Women's Reservation Bill, and said that reservations should reflect population proportions.

He said that continued neglect of BC concerns could trigger wider discontent, and urged the PM to make a clear announcement on BC caste census and reservation issues during the Hyderabad visit.