Kishan Reddy slams Telangana caste survey, backs Centre’s census for ‘real justice’ to BCs

The proposed caste census to be taken up by the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre will be as per the Constitution to provide ‘real justice’ to the Backward Classes (BC) unlike the ‘useless’ caste socio-economic survey taken up by the Congress government in Telangana which seeks to ‘cheat’ them by including Muslims in the BCc quota, said Union Minister for Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy on Friday.

“Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy should explain how the BCs can benefit when his government survey has reduced the numbers to 46% of the population and cutting down the quota benefit further by seeking to include 10% Muslims who will anyway get benefit from the 10% EWS — economically weaker sections quota,” he told a press conference in New Delhi.

The High Court had struck down the 4% quota for Muslims when they were included in BC-E category by the then Congress government led by Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy but it is being implemented with the existing stay order in the Supreme Court. The current government intends to increase the same to 10% depriving the BCs of their rights as their quota gets reduced to 32%, he maintained.

Mr. Kishan Reddy’s contention is that 10% quota to Muslims benefits the Majlis Party and Congress leaders more. In this context, he referred to the GHMC elections where most of the BC reserved divisions were bagged by the Majlis Party in the last elections.

The BJP leader said it was unbecoming of the Chief Minister to speak sarcastically about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s caste as ‘converted caste’ and has pointed out that inclusion of castes into SC/ST/BC has been a continuous process. Mr. Modi’s caste was included by the then Congress governments based on the Mandal Commission report.

The Congress has never made a BC as either PM or CM in its history plus did not bother to take up caste census or provide quota to BCs when in power. The Minister said the Congress government should follow the High Court order and conduct the local body polls within September and also implement the promised 42% quota for BCs even while ‘genuine’ BCs get the benefit.