Centre must conduct caste Census of BCs: Ponnam

Metro India News | Hyderabad 

Minister for  Transport and BC Welfare Ponnam Prabhakar has demanded that the Union government undertake a comprehensive caste Census of Backward Classes (BCs) as part of the nationwide Census. He urged the Centre to mandatorily include BC-related details in the Census, as announced on April 1, 2025, if the BJP government was genuinely committed to the welfare of BCs.

Speaking to the media at Gandhi Bhavan on Sunday, Ponnam Prabhakar challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who identifies himself as belonging to the BC community, to give a straightforward account of what his government had done for the welfare of BCs during the last 12 years. He also asked the Centre to name at least one major initiative undertaken for the welfare of weaker sections.

The Minister strongly objected to the absence of provisions for the comprehensive collection of BC-related data in the Census questionnaire released by the Centre.

Ponnam Prabhakar said that when the house-to-house survey was initially conducted with 32 questions, Question No. 13 sought details of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), but there was no question relating to BCs. The Centre had subsequently assured that category-wise details would be collected in the second phase, he recalled.

The Minister said that when Prime Minister Modi visited Hyderabad, he, along with Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, had personally explained the Census application format to him and pointed out the injustice being done to BCs. Though the Prime Minister had assured them that comprehensive data would be collected in the second phase, it was unfortunate that even the 40 questions recently released by the Centre did not explicitly mention the term “OBC”, he said.

“It is highly objectionable that the term OBC has not been included in the 40 questions,” Ponnam Prabhakar said. He strongly condemned the Centre’s stand and demanded that the Census questionnaire be revised immediately to ensure comprehensive collection of BC-related data. The Minister said reliable data on the population of BCs and their social, economic and political conditions was essential for the government to formulate appropriate policies and welfare programmes for their development. He further said credible statistical data would be crucial for placing before the Supreme Court the necessary evidence to seek removal of the existing 50 per cent ceiling on reservations.

Without accurate data on the population of BCs and scientifically collected information on their socio-economic conditions, it would be difficult to overcome the legal hurdles relating to reservations, he added.