‘In right spirit’: Rahul on T’gana caste survey

Senior Congress leader and leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said the caste survey conducted by the Telangana government has set a standard for a nationwide caste census and it is a milestone for social justice in the country.

- Srinivasa Rao Apparasu

“Revanth Reddy and other party leaders from Telangana have exceeded my expectations. They not only did the caste census but did so exceptionally well and in the right spirit,” Gandhi said, adding that it was an inspiration for the entire nation.

He was addressing a meeting of party MPs and leaders at Indira Bhavan, the new AICC office in New Delhi, where the Telangana chief minister gave a power-point presentation on the caste survey conducted in the state and requested the party MPs to bring pressure on the Centre for approving the bills on implementation of 42% quota for OBCs in education, employment and local bodies.

The Congress MP said the level of competence the Telangana Congress leaders had demonstrated was a milestone for social justice in the country. “It will set the standard for a nationwide caste census, regardless of whether the BJP likes it or not,” he said.

Gandhi said that he had brought pressure on the Telangana government to take up the caste census, though it was not so easy. “You will not get good results by sitting in the office rooms and doing the caste census. The Telangana government conducted a door-to-door survey with 55 questions at the field level. It was no easy task, but they did it with tremendous success. Now, it stands as a model for the entire nation to conduct a similar caste census,” he said.