Hyderabad: The Revanth Reddy-led Congress government shied away from making public the full report of the Socio, Economic, Educational, Employment, Political and Caste Survey (SEEEPC) 2024, after having lambasted the previous K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) administration for keeping a similar 2014 survey findings under wraps.
Contrary to the expectations of the MLAs and MLCs who assembled for a special session of the Telangana legislature convened Tuesday to apparently debate on and adopt the report, the document was not tabled in the assembly.
Revanth, in the process, joins another Congress chief minister Siddaramaiah, who also withheld the Karnataka caste census report because of the opposition from Vokkaligas and Lingayats.
However, while apprehensions of opening the caste Pandorra Box are here too, Revanth has cited “data privacy” as his concern for not releasing the full findings of the SEEEPC, or the Telangana caste survey.
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The survey, according to Revanth and other Congress ministers, was carried out in fulfillment of party leader Rahul Gandhi’s professed vision and way forward for equitable distribution of reservations and resources in the country.
Rahul himself, in the Lok Sabha on Monday, cited the Telangana caste survey as a template while driving home the need for such an exercise at the national-level to find the true socio, economic condition of all the sections in the society.
“The architecture of a new paradigm can only be built once when the caste census is placed on the table. We will know exactly only then how much of this country’s wealth, power, institutions are owned by 90 percent of the people (SC, ST, OBCs, minorities),” the Congress MP said.
The full report would have revealed the true picture of the socio-economic status of all the communities, to form a basis for effective delivery of government support for upliftment of the needy in Telangana.
On Tuesday, Revanth only read out a six-page statement on ‘Socio, Economic, Educational, Employment, Political and Caste Survey of the entire Telangana state’, as listed under the assembly’s list of business.
In his announcement on the floor of the House, the Telangana CM only stated the broad figures, indicating the overall composition of the SC, ST, OBC, minority Muslim and OCs, a bunch of data which were already announced by Irrigation minister Uttam Kumar Reddy on Sunday. Uttam is the chairman of the cabinet sub-committee overseeing the conduct of the 2024 survey.
Earlier in the day, Revanth cabinet met in the assembly premises and approved the report which pegged the Backward Classes, including Muslims, at 56.33 of Telangana population.
The figures were on estimated lines but what was expected of the report was caste, sub-caste wise figures which remained unknown, like elsewhere in the country, since the 1931 census.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi questioned the Revanth Reddy government’s rationale in holding back the report, while drawing comparison with what KCR did 10 years ago.
“The CM says BRS conducted survey has no sanctity as it was not tabled, not made public officially. Then why are you running away from tabling the report now? We are having a debate on statement while I was expecting the report to be tabled and a discussion on it. (If not made public) how to know if the survey is good, bad, right or wrong?” questioned the Chadrayangutta MLA.
Owaisi took a swipe at Revanth, saying that while he and the Congress leaders lambasted the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) for never revealing the 2014 Samagra Kutumba Survey report, today’s government too seems to be following the same model.
“If you are sincere, committed towards BC welfare, table the report,” Owaisi said as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs, sitting in rows close-by, in a rare solidarity, supported the demand.
BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao, too, expressed displeasure, adding that they expected the government to introduce a bill (to enhance Backward Classes (BC) reservations).
Revanth said that the entire report runs into a voluminous bundle of four volumes, including the personal details of the surveyed individuals, households.
“There will be data privacy concerns,” said the CM indicating that people parted with their personal information in confidence. “The data protection bill was passed by Parliament when I was an MP.”
When Owaisi insisted for a concise report including information like district and sub-caste wise figures, the CM said such a compilation “could be brought out,” without committing on a time frame.
Meanwhile, the government also purportedly shelved plans to introduce a resolution seeking enhancement of BC reservations, especially in the local body polls, as per their proportion revealed from the caste survey, to be sent to the Centre.
“Such enhancement needs constitutional amendment, revision of laws. Till then, we can do what we can like from our Congress party, we will provide 42 percent of tickets in the ensuing local body polls to BCs. Can other parties commit like us?” said Revanth.
Before the 2023 Telangana polls, the Congress had promised to increase the backward class reservations in local bodies to 42 percent. Backward Classes, excluding those from the Muslim, constitute 46.25 percent of Telangana’s population, according to the survey findings accessed by ThePrint.
Carried out over 50 days in November-December, the SEEEPC survey covered 1,12,15,134 (Rural 66,99,602 & Urban 45,15,532) households against 1,15,71,457 households that were originally listed. This puts the survey coverage at 96.9 percent.
Of the total 3,56,323 unsurveyed households, a majority of them are in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and other urban areas. A total of 3,54,77,554 individuals were surveyed, and the survey outcomes are entirely based on the voluntary disclosure of information by the residents to enumerators.
Scheduled Castes (SCs) are 17.43 percent, Scheduled Tribes (STs) 10.45 percent, and Other Castes (OC), excluding minorities, are 13.31 percent of Telangana, according to the survey findings.
“The data collected through this survey will be used to formulate evidence-based policies for the welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes and other weaker sections of the State. This initiative reflects our commitment to equitable growth and addressing the diverse needs of Telangana’s populace. It marks a new era of governance driven by data, inclusivity, and transparency,” Revanth told the House.
Later, the Telangana Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution, urging the Centre to replicate the household caste and socioeconomic survey conducted by the Congress government.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
