POLITICS

New BJP President only after Holi?

Well informed sources said that the new President of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be announced only after Holi, the festival of colour.

Caste survey in Telangana can now bite Congress itself

Caste survey, which the Congress has been using as political rhetoric, could turn into a major headache for the party. With the release of the Telangana caste survey's findings, demands for its implementation are gaining traction right before local body polls in the state. If the demands go unheard, backward classes leaders have threatened a massive state-wide agitation, turning up the heat on the Congress Government. The caste census has revealed that backward classes (except Muslim BCs), make 46.25% of Telangana's population, thereby making them the largest social group in the state. Following the BCs, the report reveals that Scheduled Castes (SCs) account for 17.43%, Scheduled Tribes (STs) make up 10.45%, and Muslim BCs constitute 10.08% of the state population. The nationwide caste census pitch of the Congress has been on the top with Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi as its biggest proponent. The Congress is also said to be a divided house and is sitting on the Karnataka caste survey report prepared seven years ago.