KHAMMAM : The Union government’s decision to conduct a nationwide caste census is a triumph for Telangana’s people’s government and the All-India Congress, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka said on Saturday, responding to a felicitation extended to him by BC associations at the Praja Bhavan Camp Office in Khammam.
He said Telangana set a national benchmark by conducting a comprehensive caste census, the first of its kind post-independence. The census was done without any problems or anyone raising objections, and was completed in just 50–55 days.
“This scientific survey, executed under the guidance of AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi, and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, collected data on caste, economic conditions, employment, natural resource distribution, and living standards,” Bhatti Vikramarka said. The findings, presented in the State Assembly, will shape future welfare and development policies.
The census revealed that BCs constitute 56 percent of Telangana’s population, prompting the state to pass a bill for 42 percent reservations in local bodies and government jobs. A resolution urging a nationwide caste census was also sent to the Centre. The Congress Working Committee (CWC) in Gujarat echoed this demand, and Rahul Gandhi raised the issue in Parliament, forcing the Centre to decide in favour of a national caste census.
Bhatti Vikramarka recalled the complexity of the task and credited its success to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and the cabinet.
The Planning Department, under his leadership, ensured precision of the data by organizing 150-house blocks, appointing enumerators, supervisors, and coordinators at mandal and district levels, with oversight from district collectors. The process was seamless, culminating in a bill passed in the Assembly.
“No caste census had been conducted in India since 1930. Telangana’s initiative is a historic milestone,” he said. He urged BCs to support the people’s government and ensure the census results reach the public. The 42 percent BC reservation policy, he said, reflected the commitment of the Chief Minister and the cabinet.
Leaders from Goud, Yadav, Nai Brahmin, Rajaka, Padmashali, Vishwakarma, Shalivahana, and Kapu castes attended the event, celebrating Telangana’s pioneering role in rendering social justice.