Muslims under OBC: Ideological fight around Telangana caste survey

The Telangana Socio, Caste, Economic, Education, Employment and Political Survey, popularly referred to as a "caste census", was done on the personal initiative of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The Revanth Reddy-led state government got it done despite the resistance of the upper castes. Rahul has been flagging the Telangana census as a model for the nation.

This is the first scientifically done caste census in Telangana in recent times. The earlier one, in 1931, was done in tough circumstances in the Nizam state that ended in 1948.

At that time, several villages and hamlets were not approachable. Some parts of present-day Maharashtra and Karnataka were in the Nizam state along with the existing Telangana.

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The enumerators were mostly Urdu-speaking whereas the people spoke regional languages. The questionnaire and methodology were underdeveloped though the British used the best possible methodology of that time.

A scientific survey

Undoubtedly, the present Telangana government has used very modern methodology by deploying Telugu, Urdu and English-speaking enumerators. Every village and hamlet can be reached now.

The then Telangana Rashtra Samithi (now Bharat Rashtra Samithi) claimed it carried out a survey in 2014 in just one day, days after the government was formed on June 2, 2014. That cannot be called a census survey.

The Congress government in Telangana placed the general data of caste census in the Assembly on February 4. After it released the percentiles of broad data, it has become a source of ideological battle between the Congress and the BJP, the latter from its anti-Muslim point of view.

The BRS has pedaled its own so-called ‘Kutumba survey’, whose data was never released.

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Muslim OBCs

The BJP argument is that the Congress government deliberately increased the Muslim OBC percentage to show fewer Hindu OBCs. It has warned that if and when it comes to power, it won’t recognise Muslims as OBCs as that category belongs only to Hindu castes. The 4 per cent reservation now with Muslims will be shifted to Hindu OBCs.

The latest survey was done over a period of 50 days with a scientifically prepared questionnaire. The Telangana government prepared 56 questions. The questionnaire contained an annexure of caste lists of four categories — OBC, SC, ST and OC (general caste).

The Muslim OBC-E group list mentioned 60 Muslim OBC caste names. The enumerators asked the respondents which group they belonged to and enquired their caste name as per the list.

Low caste Muslims

Per this survey, 10.08 per cent of Muslims came under OBC. Only 2.48 per cent Muslims identified themselves as OC.

This Muslim OBC caste list was prepared by the YS Rajasekhar Reddy government around 2006. Now this list is also common for Andhra Pradesh, where the BJP is a part of the ruling coalition. If the Andhra government does a caste census tomorrow, will they show all Muslims of the state in the OC category?

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Quite surprisingly, the Muslim castes included in the OBC list are mostly those related to begging, street vending and culture. The list starts with Acchukattalavandlu and ends with Turaka Kasha. It includes beggars, vegetable vendors, cycle mechanics, performers and so on.

Most of these lower castes were converted to Islam during the Asaf Jahi dynasty’s rule over a period of 300 years.

BJP and Muslims

The BJP's ideological opposition to their caste heritage is anti-Indian. The BC Muslims have not come from the Middle East. Several Dalit castes like Katiks, butchers, shoe/chappal makers, and bone and leather business dealers, apart from the Shudra artisans, got converted to Islam to escape untouchability and caste oppression.

The BJP is not concerned about the poor Muslims' past history and their conversion. The 2.48 per cent upper castes are perhaps Pathans, Saiks, Mughals, Sayyads and so on. Some of their ancestors would have been migrants from outside.

They came to this country the same way Brahmins, Banias, Kayasthas, Khatris and Shatriyas later migrated to America and are still migrating in our times. Many got converted to Christianity in the US and Europe. Should America deny them welfare benefits? The welfare policies of the state must be based on human values, not merely on religion.

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Raising questions

The Telangana data has shown that the non-Muslim OBCs (in which Buddhists, Sikhs and others are a part) constitute 46.25 per cent. It has also shown that the non-Muslim OCs, which are out of reservation, are 13.31 per cent.

The OC percentage has also raised questions whether it is more than what was claimed in the BRS government survey. That survey estimated the OC castes to be around 7 per cent. But what is not realised is that from 2014 to 2025, huge upper caste migration pushed up the upper caste numbers.

The IT sector, real estate business and house buyers from North Indian upper castes in Hyderabad is unparalleled in known history.

Upper caste influx

The upper caste list included 18 castes including Marwadis, Jains, Banias, Shettis, Iyers/Iyengars and general Brahmins.

Most IT and business sector employees who migrated after the 2014 Andhra bifurcation to Hyderabad are from these castes. There are also many retired employees who moved from other parts of India to Hyderabad due to its weather and cosmopolitan nature.

Hitec City in the western part of Hyderabad looks like Manhattan, and is full of migrant rich upper castes from other Indian states.

SCs and STs

There is not much controversy about the SC and ST population percentages. These are 17.43 and 10.45 respectively. On the same day in the Assembly, the government announced SC categorisation into three groups: A, B and C.

The government proposed to give 9+5+1 per cent reservation to each group called Madiga, Mala and others within the SC group.

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The BJP itself has been mobilising Madigas to fight for reservation division based on SC/ST sub-categorisation judgment of the Supreme Court. But the BJP at the central level is not willing to allow caste census nor does it want to implement the Supreme Court sub-categorisation ruling. Its sole agenda appears to be to disrupt the Telangana Congress government.

BJP’s anti-Muslim stance

The BJP is pitching to come to power in Telangana by mobilising OBCs. It had proposed an OBC face in 2023 as the CM candidate. It was a strategic move against Revanth Reddy and K Chandrasekhar Rao.

And yet, it it was against a caste census in Telangana although this was a long-standing demand of the OBCs.

The BJP’s consistent campaign during the 2023 Assembly and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Telangana was that Muslims should not be treated as OBCs and their 4 per cent reservation should be given to non-Muslim OBCs. This argument certainly appeals to Hindu OBCs and has the potential to turn them against Muslims.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah ran their campaign in Telangana around an anti-Muslim agenda. When the caste census showed a 10.08 per cent Muslim OBC population, the state BJP president, Kishan Reddy, and a Central minister, Bandi Sanjay, along with party leaders took up a campaign that there is a conspiracy against non-Muslim OBCs.

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Undercutting Congress survey

The BJP's misleading propaganda is that the Congress came up with these numbers to give away the Hindu OBC reservation jobs and seats to Muslims.

According to the BJP, the Congress converted 10.08 per cent Muslims into OBC, who otherwise should be in the general category. A dangerous communal argument, indeed.

The only option left for the BJP-led Union government is to include a caste census in the general population census the government is supposed to undertake. If that does not include Muslims in the OBC category, it will delink religion and caste all over India. But that will be grave injustice to lower caste Muslims across the country.

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