Congress OBC Council Calls for Nationwide Caste Census with Bengaluru Declaration

Quick Summary

• The AICC OBC Advisory Council,chaired by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah,held a meeting in bengaluru on July 15-16,2025.
• A resolution was passed unanimously demanding a national-level caste census by the Census Commission of India, modeled after Telangana’s caste survey.
• The resolution proposed including social, economic, educational, employment, and political aspects of individuals and castes in the census.
• The council suggested breaking the current 50% cap on reservations to ensure adequate portrayal for OBCs in education, service sectors, politics, and other areas.
• It also called for reservations in private educational institutions as per Article 15(5) of the Constitution.
• Senior leader Rahul Gandhi was recognized for prioritizing causes related to social justice and upliftment of marginalized communities during this meeting.
• Prominent attendees included Ashok Gehlot (former Rajasthan CM), M. Veerappa Moily (former Union Minister), V. narayanswamy (former Puducherry CM),Bhupesh baghel (former Chhattisgarh CM),and other Congress leaders.

Indian Opinion Analysis
The unanimous demand by the Congress’s OBC Advisory Council for conducting a national-level caste census underscores growing recognition among Indian policymakers about the need to reassess socio-economic inequalities through data-driven insights. While efforts like Telangana’s model serve as benchmarks advocating broader inclusivity across demographic dimensions such endeavors remain rooted within ethical frameworks/statistical-compilations aligning constitutionally! It logistical/administrative feasibility lies beyond mere structural mandate sections practically/statistically reservation-limit changes/unquantifi