Revanth urged the party’s national leadership to mount pressure on the NDA government for their passage in Parliament and inclusion in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.
Published Jul 25, 2025 | 12:05 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 25, 2025 | 12:05 AM
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
Synopsis: Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy on Thursday presented the findings of the state’s caste census to Congress leadership in New Delhi and urged the party to press the Centre to approve two Telangana Assembly bills raising BC reservations to 42 percent, and to include them in the Ninth Schedule to shield them from legal challenges.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday, 24 July, gave a presentation on the state’s Socio-Economic, Education, Employment, Political, and Caste survey to AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and other senior Congress leaders in New Delhi.
The Chief Minister explained how the survey aims to improve the living standards of people across castes, particularly those from Backward Classes (BCs).
He outlined the survey’s key features and scope, stating that it was conducted over a full year – from 4 February 2024 to 4 February 2025 – covering the entire population of Telangana.
He said the data showed that BCs comprise 56.4 percent of the state’s population, Scheduled Castes (SCs) 17.45 percent, Scheduled Tribes (STs) 10.08 percent, upper castes 10.09 percent, and 3.09 percent of respondents identified as not belonging to any caste.
The Chief Minister also highlighted two bills passed by the Telangana Assembly in March 2024 that seek to increase reservations for BCs to 42 percent in education, employment, and local bodies.
He urged the party’s national leadership to mount pressure on the NDA government for their passage in Parliament and inclusion in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, to protect them from judicial scrutiny.
He said the caste census data provided a scientific basis for the enhanced quota and aligned with the Congress’s broader social justice agenda.
Reddy proposed the Telangana model as one that could be replicated in other Congress-ruled states and at the national level to ensure equitable representation and empowerment for OBCs, SCs, and STs.
He called on the Congress to lead a nationwide movement for a caste census, asserting that the Telangana approach should be adopted across the country.
The chief minister also pointed to the implementation of two out of six Congress “guarantees” within ten days of taking office in December 2023 – free bus travel for women and an increase in Arogyasri health insurance coverage to ₹10 lakh.
Reddy invited Kharge and Gandhi to attend public meetings in Medak and Suryapet to highlight the caste census and efforts towards SC categorisation.
He criticised the BJP-led Union government for blocking the BC reservation bills, calling it a hurdle to social justice. He urged the AICC to mobilise political support and apply pressure on the Centre for the passage of the bills in Parliament.
The presentation was part of a two-day engagement in Delhi (24–25 July), where Reddy – accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Congress MPs – urged the party to place the survey data at the core of its national strategy to consolidate support among OBCs, SCs, and STs.
He described the caste survey as a pioneering effort that would help shape the Congress’s electoral and policy approach in other states.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
