Throwing light on the Backward Class (BC) caste census bill, which is likely to be introduced in the upcoming budget session of the Telangana Legislative Assembly, BC welfare minister Ponnam Prabhakar on Wednesday said the party will consult professors, retired government officials, intellectuals and BC associations to prepare it.
He said that after the Congress comes to power at the Centre, they will undertake this exercise in the entire country. To make this a reality, he urged people of Telangana to make ensure that the Congress wins all 17 MP seats in the state.
The government is reportedly studying how the caste census was conducted in states like Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. The BC caste census survey of Bihar was contested in the Supreme Court after petitioners pointed out that only the Centre has the power to publish such a census.
What if Telangana meets a similar hurdle?
Replying to this, the minister said: “We will seek the advice of legal experts in case of such hurdles. No court has said that we cannot carry out the caste census. In case any objection arises, we will challenge it legally.”
“Our election manifesto had said that the BC caste census will be done after coming to power. We are fulfilling that as our party is the only one that cares for weaker sections of society. We have already conducted the preliminary discussion with our chief minister, Revanth Kumar Reddy. Allotment of necessary funds is also going to happen under his leadership. The government will take steps to ensure that there are no difficulties statistically,” said the minister.
He appealed to the people of Telangana to cooperate in this exercise and also come forward with suggestions.
When asked about Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha’s request to install the statue of social reformer Jyotirao Phule in the Assembly, the minister quipped, “Why did they not do it in the past 10 years when they were in power?”
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