National Congress Backs Caste Survey
Kharge, Rahul laud Revanth’s efforts, call Telangana a role model for social justice
Hyderabad: The Congress national leadership has extended its full support to implementing the Telangana model of social justice for OBCs at the national level.
At a high-level meeting held in Delhi on Thursday, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi held a meeting with the Telangana delegation led by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. It lasted over two hours and was a;so attended by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal, and other key leaders.
The leaders discussed in detail the methodology and findings of the caste census conducted by the Telangana government. The Congress top brass lauded Telangana’s efforts, describing the state as a national role model for scientifically executing the caste survey. The meeting resolved that the Centre should adopt the "Telangana model" while undertaking the upcoming national caste census.
Kharge said the Congress’ Social Justice 2.0 movement had begun in Telangana, marking a renewed thrust towards equity and empowerment for marginalised sections.
“Our unwavering fight, led by Rahul Gandhi, is amplifying the voices of millions from SC, ST, OBC and EWS communities who have been ignored for decades. These communities, despite being the majority, remain absent from the top echelons of corporate boards, the judiciary, and premier institutions,” Kharge said.
Citing official data, he pointed out that nearly 80 per cent of OBC professor posts and 83 per cent of ST faculty positions remain vacant in Central universities. “We have demanded a nationwide caste census and the removal of the arbitrary 50 per cent cap on reservations. Though the Centre has reluctantly agreed to the census under public pressure, it has not addressed the cap issue,” he added.
He said that Telangana’s scientific approach to the caste census must serve as a blueprint for the rest of India. Based on the socio-economic survey, the Telangana government has recommended 42 per cent reservations for OBCs in education and local body elections, a bill which is currently awaiting the President's assent.
Kharge also thanked the Independent Expert Working Group led by former Supreme Court judge Justice B. Sudarshan Reddy for preparing the 300-page report on the Telangana caste census findings, and appreciated the efforts of Revanth Reddy, Bhatti, other ministers, and MPs for this landmark initiative.