HYDERABAD: Stating that he has gone to great lengths to conduct the Socio-Economic, Employment, Political, and Caste Survey to enhance reservations for BCs, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday said that it was now the responsibility of the Backward Class communities to shield it from the undue criticism of the Opposition.
Describing the caste survey as an emotional issue for BCs, the chief minister told BC leaders of the ruling party that it was not right to remain silent when the Opposition was making baseless allegations.
He made these remarks during a meeting — which was centred around the caste survey and enhancement of BC reservations — with BC leaders and intellectuals at Praja Bhavan here.
The meeting was also attended by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, TPCC chief B Mahesh Kumar Goud, several MLAs, MLCs and chairpersons of various corporations.
Addressing the gathering, the chief minister challenged the BRS and BJP to prove where the caste survey went wrong instead of making unfounded allegations. He advised BC leaders to deepen their understanding of the survey and not fall prey to the Opposition’s propaganda, warning that their silence would be detrimental. He accused BRS and BJP of conspiring against the survey, fearing that BCs would demand proportional representation in key positions.
“How can the caste survey progress if you (BC leaders) treat me as a villain while attending meetings organised by BRS, despite my efforts to conduct it?” Revanth questioned. He recalled disregarding requests to keep the survey’s findings out of the public domain.
Stressing the importance of public perception, the chief minister urged BC associations to pass resolutions and organise caste-wise meetings and university seminars at the earliest.
“The caste survey is like the Bhagavad Gita, Quran, and Bible for BCs — there is no policy document greater than this,” he said. Revanth asserted that the survey was the most transparent in the country and would serve as a model for the nation. The state government, he added, would grant it legal sanctity through the Legislative Assembly after completing the second phase of the survey.