HYDERABAD: BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Sunday criticised the state government’s caste census, calling it a blunder and demanded a resurvey.
“If the government conducts a resurvey, all the BRS leaders would participate and provide all the details,” Rama Rao said.
Addressing a gathering, Rama Rao accused Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of reducing the Backward Classes (BC) population in the census and demanded an apology from the government. He alleged that the Congress hoodwinked the people during the election campaign and manipulated the survey. “If the state government does not provide 42% reservations to BCs, BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao would announce the future course of action soon,” Rama Rao stated.
The BRS working president criticised the Congress government’s survey, claiming it understated the population of the BCs by 5%, which could affect welfare schemes, ration cards, housing allotments and the six-guarantees. He called for a re-survey using scientific methods, asserting the BCs were upset by the reduced population numbers.
The Sircilla MLA also highlighted the government’s failure to honour pre-election promises, such as Rs 1 lakh crore for the BC sub-plan and Rs 50 crore for each BC Corporation. He maintained that the Congress survey, which reported a 22 lakh reduction in BC population, was unscientific.
He demanded the immediate implementation of 42% reservations for BCs. “The BRS allocated more than 50% of Assembly tickets to BCs and allotted six Lok Sabha seats,” the MLA said.
To hold awareness campaign, highlight ‘Cong’s failure’
The pink party will organise awareness campaigns against the state’s flawed caste census.
Regarding the chief minister’s claim that a Constitutional amendment is needed to implement 42% reservations, Rama Rao responded that the amendment could be completed before Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi have their tea together. He also reminded that the Constitution was amended to abolish Mulki rules during Indira Gandhi’s tenure as PM.