TPCC Chief Demands OBC Column in Census-2027, Promises BC Political Share

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president B. Mahesh Kumar Goud has reiterated the demand for a Backward Classes (BC)/Other Backward Classes (OBC) column in the nationwide Census-2027 and said the Congress is committed to securing a greater political share for BCs. He also asserted that a BC leader would become Chief Minister of Telangana in future.

Mr. Goud was addressing a public meeting in Shamshabad, organised under the chairmanship of TPCC OBC cell chairman and MLA Veerlapalli Shankar. He called upon BC communities to unite and fight for the inclusion of an OBC column in the census.

He said Rahul Gandhi had given the Congress the political confidence to take up the cause of BC rights and social justice. Telangana had set an example by conducting a caste survey, he said, and criticised the Union government for excluding OBCs from its surveys while retaining the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) categories.

Mr. Goud said the Congress government in Telangana had begun increasing BC representation in local bodies and would expand their representation in the Cabinet, the Legislative Council and State corporations. He called upon BC communities to unite and demand their share in political power and welfare benefits.

Expressing confidence that Rahul Gandhi would become Prime Minister, he said the Congress would conduct a nationwide caste census if voted to power at the Centre. He described social justice as a legitimate political demand.

Transport and BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said Telangana had emerged as a national example by conducting a caste survey. He said Telangana and Bihar had gained recognition for undertaking the exercise.

Mr. Prabhakar said a nationwide caste census was necessary to determine reservations, welfare measures and political representation on a scientific basis. He urged BCs to mount pressure on the Union government by taking the Telangana Assembly’s resolution on the issue to the grassroots.

AICC OBC cell chairman Anil Jaihind, All India Professional Congress president Madhu Yaskhi Goud, State government Adviser V. Hanumantha Rao and other BC legislators also spoke at the meeting.

The demand for an OBC column in the census has been a long-standing issue in Indian politics. The regular census enumerates SCs and STs, but OBCs are not counted as a separate category. Telangana’s caste survey and Bihar’s caste-based survey have been cited by parties supporting OBC enumeration. The next census, referred to in the meeting as Census-2027, is expected to be a major political issue. Several parties, including the Congress, have demanded that OBCs be counted in it.

At the Shamshabad meeting, speakers framed the demand as a matter of social justice and political representation. They said a nationwide caste census would provide scientific data for reservations, welfare schemes and political share. The Telangana Assembly had earlier passed a resolution urging the Union government to include OBCs in the census. The meeting was part of efforts by the TPCC’s OBC cell to mobilise BC communities across Telangana.

While the Congress has made OBC enumeration a key demand, the issue remains a subject of political debate. Supporters argue that counting OBCs is essential for accurate policy-making. Critics have raised concerns about how such data would be used. The debate is expected to continue as the census process moves forward.