Opposition explodes over Telangana's 'flawed' Backward Classes count

Political storm erupts in Telangana over caste survey as BJP, BRS question drop in Backward Classes population, while government defends data accuracy and methodology

The Telangana government’s latest caste survey has triggered a political storm even before its official release, with opposition parties questioning discrepancies in the count of Backward Classes.

 

The state has conducted two major caste surveys—one in 2014 under then Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) and another in 2024 by the Congress-led government under Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. However, the drastic variance in population figures between the two surveys has led to debates on their accuracy and methodology.

 

Differing figures raise questions 

The 2014 Samagra Kutumba Survey (SKS) and the 2024 Socio, Economic, Educational, Employment, Political and Caste Survey (SEEEPC) were both commissioned to assess the state’s socio-economic composition. The 2024 survey was aligned with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s nationwide push for caste-based representation through his ‘Jitni Abadi Utna Hissedari’ campaign, reported The Print.

 

 

Despite the importance of these surveys, neither the KCR government nor the current Congress administration has publicly released their full reports. However, key findings from both indicate stark differences: 

- The 2014 survey pegged Backward Classes at 51 per cent of the population. 

- The 2024 survey recorded Backward Classes at 46 per cent, but when Muslim BCs were included, the number rose to 56 per cent. 

- The 2014 report placed Forward Castes (OCs) at 21 per cent, while the 2024 report showed a sharp decline to 13.3 per cent.

 

Even after adding forward caste Muslims, the OC figure in 2024 stands at 15.79 per cent. 

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy presented the latest survey findings in the Telangana Assembly on Tuesday, but opposition parties immediately pointed out the contradictions. The 2014 figures, found in a government document hosted on the website of the Marri Channa Reddy HRD Institute (MCRHRDI), were cited in the Assembly, further fuelling the debate. The document was reportedly removed from the website following the uproar.

 

BJP, BRS question accuracy of survey 

BJP MLA Payal Shankar questioned the significant decline in the Backward Class population, arguing that such a steep drop was unrealistic. “Do you mean to say we shunned the institution of marriage and stopped producing offspring?” he asked in the Assembly. 

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) also pointed out inconsistencies, stating that the 2014 survey was conducted meticulously with 36.8 million people participating. He quoted figures from the SKS document: BCs were 18.5 million (51 per cent) in 2014, and with the addition of 10 per cent Muslim BCs, the total BC population stood at 61 per cent.

 

“Look at the drastic variance compared with the present survey. Even BC community leaders are questioning how their population dropped from 18.5 million to 16.4 million now, and how their proportion fell to 46 per cent,” said KT Rama Rao (KTR). 

 

“The Congress government cut down the BC ratio by 5 per cent and thereby is cutting their throats,” he added.

 

Backward Class leaders reject survey findings 

Meanwhile, several Backward Class leaders convened a roundtable conference on Tuesday to discuss the survey results. The gathering, which included former BRS minister Srinivas Goud, unanimously rejected the 2024 findings and tore copies of the report in protest.

 

Former IAS officer and Backward Class Intellectuals Forum convener T Chiranjeevulu highlighted major discrepancies. “How can the state’s population expand by only 200,000 people over a decade? The 2014 survey included all Muslims in the OC category, whereas in 2024, 12.56 per cent of Muslims were divided among BCs and OCs,” he said. 

“The Revanth government should rectify these gaps and release the full report,” he said.

 

State government defends the survey 

Despite mounting criticism, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and his deputy Bhatti Vikramarka dismissed allegations of discrepancies. They insisted that the survey was scientific, flawless, and conducted with accuracy.