Hyderabad: Taking exception to the inclusion of backward sections among Muslims in the BC category in the caste survey conducted by the Congress government in Telangana, Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Saturday alleged that the move would cause injustice to the backward classes.
Addressing a roadshow at Karimnagar organised in support of BJP candidates of the upcoming MLC polls, he said Hindu candidates could not win in Hyderabad civic polls in the past as backward Muslims were recognised as BCs with a four per cent reservation by the late Congress Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy in undivided Andhra Pradesh.
The Congress government in the state should remember that even Other Castes are opposing the inclusion of Muslims in the BC category, he said.
While the Intensive Household Survey conducted by the previous BRS government showed the population of BCs to be 51 per cent of the total population, the caste survey of the Congress government, however, put the number at 46 per cent which is a decline, he claimed.
Meanwhile, Telangana Backward Classes Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar on Saturday held a meeting with leaders of BC associations on the report of the caste survey. Backward classes other than Muslim minorities at 46.25 per cent form the largest chunk of the total 3.70 crore population of Telangana, according to the caste survey conducted in the state.
The population of BCs is followed by the Scheduled Castes (17.43), Scheduled Tribes (10.45), backward classes among Muslims (10.08) and Other Castes (13.31), OCs among Muslims (2.48) in terms of the percentage of the population. The state government recently released the demographic data of the caste survey.
The Congress government's comprehensive socio-economic, employment, political and caste survey, an election promise of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, was conducted for 50 days from November 6, 2024.
