HYDERABAD: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president and MLC B Mahesh Kumar Goud on Saturday criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent comments on the caste census, calling them misinformed.
In an interview with TNIE, Shah had dismissed Telangana’s exercise as a “survey”, while asserting that the BJP-led Central government was conducting a “proper census”.
Reacting sharply, Mahesh Kumar Goud accused Shah of lacking even the basic understanding of constitutional provisions related to census operations. He pointed out that as per the Constitution and the Census Act, 1948, only the Union government is legally empowered to conduct an official census. “The Telangana government has acted within the legal boundaries by carrying out a comprehensive socio-economic, educational, employment, political and caste-based survey, since the state does not have the constitutional authority to conduct a census,” he clarified.
He highlighted that Telangana’s survey covered over 3.54 crore people. “With this depth and breadth of data collection, what else is left to find out? Shah clearly doesn’t understand the scope of what Telangana has achieved,” he remarked.
He also rebutted Shah’s claim that the BJP government initiated the caste census on its own. He said it was Rahul Gandhi’s consistent demand during the Bharat Jodo Yatra that forced the Centre to respond. “Where were JP Nadda and Rajnath Singh when Rahul Gandhi was vocally advocating for a caste census? Why didn’t they support it then?” he questioned.
He further asserted that unlike the BJP, which is only beginning the exercise, Telangana has already started delivering on the data collected. “The state has announced 42% quota for BCs in the local body elections,” he said.
Goud demanded that Amit Shah and the Centre immediately clear the bills passed by the Telangana Assembly.
“If the Centre is sincere about social justice, let it support what Telangana has already initiated by adding the legislation in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution,” the TPCC chief said.