Rahul Gandhi to address Telangana Congress leaders ahead of caste survey

Hyderabad, Nov  (IANS) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will address party's Telangana unit leaders here on Tuesday as the state is set to embark on a caste survey.

Rahul Gandhi, who is also the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, is likely to give directions to the party functionaries a day ahead of the launch of the state-wide survey in line with his idea of a caste census.

The Congress leader will be in Hyderabad for only two hours and the only programme he is scheduled to attend is state-level consultations on the caste census, Congress leaders said.

As per the itinerary, Rahul Gandhi will reach Begumpet Airport by a special flight at 5 p.m. He will then leave for Gandhi Ideology Centre, Bowenpally, to address the meeting organised by the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC).

The meeting is likely to last for an hour. After the meeting, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, TPCC president B. Mahesh Kumar Goud and some senior leaders are likely to meet Rahul Gandhi separately at the same venue.

The top Congress leader will leave for Delhi at around 7.10 p.m.

Rahul Gandhi's visit is significant as Telangana is set to become the first state to undertake a caste survey as promised by him in the elections.

He is expected to give directions to the party leaders on the need to successfully undertake the exercise as the party is keen to project the Telangana model to replicate the same in other states ruled by it.

A comprehensive door-to-door household survey (socio, educational, economic, employment, political, and caste survey) of the entire state will be undertaken from November 6.

More than 85,000 government employees will conduct the survey for which the Planning Department has been designated as the nodal department.

A Government Order (GO) was issued in this regard last month.

"The government, after careful consideration, hereby order to take up a comprehensive door-to-door household survey (socio, educational, economic, employment, political and caste survey) of entire Telangana to plan and implement various socio, economic, educational, employment and political opportunities for the amelioration of Backwards Classes, SC and ST citizens of the state and other weaker sections of the state," reads the GO.