Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy presented the state’s caste census report in the Legislative Assembly on February 4, 2025. Officially titled the Telangana Social, Economic, Educational, Employment, Political, and Caste Census, this marks the first such data collection exercise in the state—an initiative neither undertaken after Telangana’s formation nor in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh. However, rather than being a progressive step, this survey has turned into a political weapon, aimed at deepening caste divisions and consolidating Congress’s vote bank.
Telangana’s Caste Census: A Failed Experiment
A glaring example of this political maneuvering is Congress’s post-2024 election shift towards securing its Muslim vote bank. This is evident in its repeated assertions, from Rahul Gandhi’s infamous “Jitni abaadi utna haq” slogan to the party’s blatant declaration that “Muslims should have the first right to resources.” Congress is attempting to fracture Hindu society along caste lines, achieving two objectives: in the short term, creating caste-based rifts through reservations; in the long term, gradually diverting quotas and welfare benefits to its core Muslim voter base.
In Telangana, the Congress government has included 10.08 per cent of Muslims under the OBC category, significantly reducing the share available for genuinely backward Hindu OBCs. Out of Telangana’s total 12.56 per cent Muslim population, only 2.48 per cent do not claim OBC status. This means Congress has disproportionately classified Muslims as OBCs to manipulate reservation policies. Meanwhile, the broader percentile distribution shows non-Muslim OBCs at 46.25 per cent, Scheduled Castes at 17.43 per cent, Scheduled Tribes at 10.45 per cent, and non-Muslim general castes at 13.31 per cent. This selective categorization is nothing but appeasement politics, ensuring a larger pie for a targeted vote bank while marginalizing genuine beneficiaries.
Data Manipulation and Demographic Distortions
The Telangana caste census is riddled with glaring inconsistencies and deliberate distortions. While Aadhaar records indicate a population of 3.95 crore, the census conveniently reduces this figure to 3.70 crore—an unmistakable ploy to manipulate demographic data, particularly to undercount the Backward Classes (BCs). The most blatant inconsistency is the reported decline in the BC population from 61% in 2014 to 56.33% in 2025—an anomaly that defies logical demographic trends. Instead of rectifying these discrepancies, the Congress government is attempting a weak cover-up by conducting another round of surveys, addressing just 3.1 per cent of those left out—an implicit admission of its own failure.
This entire exercise has wasted public resources and eroded trust in government institutions. Instead of ensuring fair representation, the Congress regime has turned the census into a political tool. The lack of transparency raises concerns about data manipulation for electoral gains, deepening social divides. To restore credibility, the full survey data must be publicly accessible for scrutiny and accountability.
Congress’s Blueprint: Divide, Rule, and Secure Votes
The caste census is not just a data discrepancy—it is a political weapon. Congress seeks to turn caste identity into electoral currency, pitting communities against each other instead of fostering collective progress. By fueling inter-caste competition for resources, Congress is deepening social divides. The party’s blueprint is clear—manufacture tensions to win elections while the nation bears the cost of division and stagnation.
Adding to this deception, Congress promised a staggering 42% reservation for OBCs in Telangana—an unrealistic and legally untenable promise that will inevitably face constitutional hurdles. The Supreme Court has consistently upheld the 50% cap on reservations, making Congress’s commitment a blatant political stunt designed to mislead and manipulate voters. This sheer impracticality exposes the party’s lack of sincerity in implementing genuine affirmative action policies.
A Diversion from Governance Failures
With Gram Panchayat elections approaching, the caste census appears to be a diversionary tactic to stir caste-based sentiments and distract from Congress’s governance failures. Reports have already emerged of individuals hesitant to share personal information, fearing misuse and political targeting. This exercise reeks of an attempt to stoke fear and uncertainty rather than serve a genuine social cause. By manufacturing caste anxieties, Congress is ensuring that its vote-bank politics remains intact at the cost of Telangana’s social cohesion.
The danger extends beyond Telangana. Congress is setting a precedent it may replicate in other states, using caste-based polarization to sustain its political relevance. A fractured Hindu society, divided along caste lines, enables the party to push its broader agenda of reservation-based politics. The ultimate goal is to gradually shift reservations away from genuine OBCs, SCs, and STs and extend them to selected religious communities under the guise of backwardness. Congress’s past attempts to introduce religion-based quotas in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh illustrate this strategy. Such moves are not just unconstitutional but also a direct threat to social harmony, fostering resentment and creating a permanent state of polarization.
Hindering Progress: The Real Cost of Congress’s Caste Census
A caste census, if conducted with sincerity, could aid governance and social progress. In Congress’s hands, however, it is a divisive tool meant to create perpetual instability and caste conflicts. While Prime Minister Modi champions unity, economic empowerment, and a shared national identity, Congress is busy reviving old caste divides, redistributing reservations to suit its vote banks, and fostering resentment instead of national cohesion.
India cannot afford to be trapped in the politics of division. The vision of a Viksit Bharat (Developed India) that PM Modi envisions is rooted in meritocracy, skill development, and economic empowerment. Congress’s regressive politics threatens this trajectory, placing roadblocks in the nation’s path to global leadership. Instead of focusing on social justice through education, entrepreneurship, and economic opportunities, Congress seeks to keep the discourse fixated on caste lines, ensuring that India’s youth remain entangled in identity politics rather than national progress.
It is imperative for the people of India to recognize the true face of Congress’s caste census agenda and reject these divisive politics outright. The country must move forward as a unified force, embracing a future built on shared aspirations, not fractured identities. The real battle is not between castes but between progress and stagnation. India has a choice—either be divided and weakened by political machinations or march forward, united and strong, towards a brighter future.
Congress is now using the caste census to deepen divisions within Hindu society, just as it once fueled linguistic jingoism and regionalism for political gains. India is a land of over 3,000 castes and 25,000 sub-castes, bound together by an intricate social fabric that has survived centuries of upheaval. While a caste census, if conducted with the right intent, could aid governance and social justice, Congress is weaponizing it to stir resentment, pit communities against each other, and perpetuate an atmosphere of mistrust and competition. This is a direct threat to India’s unity, driven by Congress’s age-old strategy: Divide and Conquer, when convenient.
However, conducting this survey has sparked intense debate both before and after the data’s release. This exercise appears to be a calculated move by the Congress party to deepen caste divisions, foster dependency on government welfare schemes, and incite competition among communities for visibility and freebies. While it is presented as a reassessment of societal needs, in reality, it categorizes certain groups as privileged while relegating others to a perpetual state of disadvantage.
The Telangana Congress seems to be using this data to manipulate caste-based groups while discreetly facilitating the inclusion of Muslims and Christians into the BC category. This strategic move allows these communities to access benefits under both the minority and BC quotas, effectively consolidating Congress’s vote bank. By merging these blocs, the party aims to secure electoral dominance under the guise of social justice.
Notably, BC leader Teenmar Mallanna publicly burned the caste census report, accusing Congress of betraying the sentiments and aspirations of the BC community. His suspension from the party only underscores Congress’s intolerance toward dissent.
Congress has long thrived on divisive strategies—creating segmented vote banks that remain dependent on the party for political favors. This caste census is yet another ploy to entrap communities in a cycle where they cannot opt out, nor can they seek alternatives.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has yet to introduce any flagship programs for Telangana, raising questions about whether he governs as an individual performer or as a leader with a vision for the state. The financial crisis gripping Telangana has already led to delays in government salaries and welfare payments. Yet, instead of addressing these pressing issues, Congress prioritizes caste-based narratives, keeping voters distracted with short-term benefits while steering them away from self-reliance, employment generation, and economic growth.
