Telangana Assembly Passes Resolution Seeking Separate BC Column in Census 2027

The Telangana Assembly on Friday adopted a resolution unopposed, requesting the Union Government to include BC/OBC communities in the second phase questionnaire of the Census 2027 with a separate column for data collection, on the lines of the provision that exists for SC and ST communities.

The ruling Congress, the AIMIM and the CPI backed the resolution. The BJP staged a walk-out, protesting what it described as the State government's failure to implement the BC Declaration.

During a short discussion, members of the treasury benches and BJP legislators clashed over their respective parties' record on the development of Backward Classes, with each side accusing the other of long-standing neglect.

Congress members Adi Srinivas, Makkan Singh Raj Thakur, K. Anil Kumar Reddy, K. Shankaraiah, V. Naveen Yadav and Beerla Ilaiah, along with Danam Nagender of the BRS, and Ministers M. Bhatti Vikramarka, Ponnam Prabhakar, Vakiti Srihari, D. Sridhar Babu and D. Seethakka, noted that the second phase questionnaire for the Census 2027 lacked a separate column for BC/OBC data and pressed for an appropriate amendment by the Centre.

Mohd. Majid Hussain of the AIMIM and K. Sambasiva Rao of the CPI also supported the resolution. BJP members Payal Shankar and A. Maheshwar Reddy sought to know when the government would implement the Kamareddy BC Declaration and where the ₹20,000 crore allocated in the budget for the BC Sub-Plan over the past three years had gone.

Members of the treasury benches argued that a caste census, particularly covering BC/OBC communities who constitute more than 50 per cent of the population, was essential for social justice and that the resulting numbers would help secure their due. They also called for reservation in the private sector and suggested relaxing the creamy layer norms for BCs in the manner applicable to SC and ST communities.

Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said the State government had decided, after a scientific data collection exercise, to provide 42 per cent reservation to BCs against their population of 56 per cent, and that a request had been sent to the Centre to relax the ceiling on total reservation so that the higher quota for BCs could be implemented.