Hyderabad: Telangana Rakshana Sena (TRS) chief Kalvakuntla Kavitha demanded that a separate column for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) be included in the upcoming national Census and urged the Telangana assembly to pass a resolution pressing the Centre on the issue.Addressing the Hyderabad OBC declaration meeting jointly organised by the All India OBC Students Association and Telangana BC Rights Forum on Wednesday, Kavitha described reservations as “the most valuable asset that can be passed on to future generations.” She said that an accurate enumeration of OBC communities is essential to ensure fair representation in education, employment, and political institutions.“The BJP govt at the Centre is attempting to dismantle reservations entirely. Less than ₹2,000 crore out of India’s ₹50-lakh crore budget goes to OBCs. Without a standardised drop-down box in the census, sub-castes across states will be fragmented, undercounted or ‘unclassifiable’, thereby robbing them of fair opportunities,” Kavitha said.She demanded that chief minister A Revanth Reddy pass an assembly resolution for the OBC census column, warning that failure to do so will result in TRS physically blocking census operations in Telangana.The Telangana govt should follow the example of Tamil Nadu and adopt an assembly resolution seeking the inclusion of a dedicated OBC column in the Census, Kavitha said and added that if the Centre failed to agree, the state should explore measures to oppose the conduct of the Census.Criticising both the Centre and the state govt, Kavitha alleged insufficient commitment on their part towards BC welfare. She claimed that the BJP-led central govt was reluctant to conduct a comprehensive OBC enumeration as it could strengthen demands for reservations proportionate to population. She also urged CM Revanth Reddy to take stronger steps to secure approval for the state’s BC reservation proposals.The TRS leader called for a united struggle involving SCs, STs, OBCs and minorities to protect and expand reservation benefits. She said lack of reliable data on OBC populations has resulted in inadequate budgetary allocations and reduced opportunities for backward communities.The declaration adopted at the meeting demanded a nationwide caste census with a separate OBC category, unique codes for each caste, population-based representation in education, jobs and politics, removal of the 50% reservation ceiling, filling of backlog vacancies, implementation of social justice measures in universities and extension of reservations to the private sector.The meeting was attended by OBC leaders and activists from different states, including Delhi University professorSuraj Mandal, OBC Mahasabha leader from Madhya Pradesh Dharemendra Kushwaha and Sunil Varma, president of the SC, ST, OBC, and Minority Sangh in Uttar Pradesh.
