24-07-2025
- Politics
- United News of India
Caste census right step to empower marginalised: Kharge
New Delhi, July 24 (UNI) Senior Congress leadership, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, today hailed and congratulated the Telangana government for carrying out the caste census in the state.
Addressing a function after the presentation of the census details on the 'Telangana Socio, Economic, Educational, Employment, Political & Caste Survey 2024,' Congress president Kharge said that the Telangana had provided a new direction to the entire country.
He said it was really a courageous step by Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to carry out the caste census, as there could always be some resistance from certain quarters.
Kharge called for unity between the Backwards, the SCs, and the minorities. He said once they come together socially and politically and support the Congress, the party may get 'more than 50... 60-70 percent support across the country'.
Praising Rahul Gandhi, Kharge said that it was he who raised the issue of the caste census. He pointed out that it was because of Gandhi's pressure that Prime Minister Modi was forced to include caste census in the proposed general census.
Speaking on the occasion, Rahul Gandhi congratulated Revanth Reddy, saying that he had exceeded his expectation by carrying out a detailed and in-depth caste census in the state.
'This will define how the caste census is done,' he said.
Rahul Gandhi said power in the 21st century is defined and determined in terms of data. He said the Telangana government now possesses the comprehensive data with which it can carry out targeted development and reach out to every single person in the state.
'No other state in India today has the ability to target development the way Telangana has,' he claimed.
Gandhi also referred to Telangana's second move after the caste census: that of removing the 50 percent bar on reservations for education, government jobs, and Panchayati Raj institutions.
'Removing the bar on reservation in education, government jobs, and Panchayati Raj institutions has the potential to destroy the politics of Hindutva,' he claimed.
Expressing apprehensions about the BJP carrying out the caste census, Rahul Gandhi said, 'The BJP is not going to do the caste census in the right way. They cannot do it as they cannot tell the people of India what their true condition is—whether they are the OBCs, the Dalits, the tribals, or even the General castes.'
Taking a dig at the BJP leaders for opposing the English language, Rahul Gandhi said, "if anybody asks the same BJP leaders where their children are studying, they will all be studying in English-medium schools."
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