BRS, MIM ask Congress Govt to provide legal sanctity to the proposed caste census

HYDERABAD: The BRS party has urged the Congress Government to provide legal sanctity to the proposed "Kulaganna," a comprehensive caste survey in Telangana. The BRS MLAs suggested that a piece of legislation be introduced promptly to ensure the effective implementation of the proposed caste census.

During the Assembly session on Friday, BRS MLAs Gangula Kamalakar and Kadiyam Srihari expressed their full support for the caste census resolution put forth by BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar. Referring to previous cases in the Supreme Court, they emphasised the need to address potential legal challenges faced by similar surveys conducted by other states. They urged the State Government to clarify its authority in conducting the survey, safeguard the privacy of individual information collected, specify the responsible agency - BC Commission, General Administration Department, or a Special Commission, and provide a timeframe for survey completion.

Gangula Kamalakar insisted on convening an all-party meeting to discuss survey modalities, including the questionnaire. He sought clarification on whether the State Government intends to conduct a survey or census, emphasising the importance of legal sanctity for the survey and the agency overseeing it. He argued that a government resolution alone would not confer legal legitimacy to the survey and requested clarity on the distinctions between a caste census and a survey.

Kadiyam Srihari highlighted the ambiguity in the resolution, questioning whether it pertains to a caste census, population census, BC census, or household survey. He urged the use of a single term for clarity and to prevent potential legal complications in the future. Stressing that states lack the authority to conduct a Population Census, he called for clarification that the proposed survey differs from the Census conducted by the Central Government.

MIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi echoed similar sentiments, emphasising the need for legal legitimacy for the proposed caste census. He suggested that if a Commission conducts the survey, it would yield proper findings and recommendations. He urged that findings about each caste, including BC, SC, and ST, should be referred to their respective commissions for further recommendations. He demanded that the survey findings be tabled on the floor of the Assembly. He also requested that the state government table the findings of the Intensive Household Survey conducted by the previous BRS Government on August 19, 2014.

In response to the concerns, BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu, and Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu dismissed the apprehensions, accusing the BRS of creating unnecessary confusion.