Telangana Minister demands Amit Shah apology over state formation remarks

Telangana Transport and Backward Classes Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar demanded that Union Home Minister Amit Shah issue an unconditional apology to the people of the state over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's past remarks in Parliament regarding the formation of Telangana. Speaking to the media at Gandhi Bhavan on Friday, Mr. Ponnam stated that Mr. Shah is welcome to visit Hyderabad but must first answer key questions before engaging in political activities in the region. He accused the BJP-led Union government of weakening democratic and constitutional institutions, adding that the Congress party will continue its fight under the leadership of AICC leaders Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi.

Official Demands And Challenges

Mr. Ponnam questioned the Centre's priorities ahead of the proposed visit, alleging that critical matters such as violence in Manipur and other northeastern states, along with tensions along the China border, are being ignored while the Home Minister focuses on political mobilisation in Telangana. He announced plans to write an official letter to Mr. Shah demanding the inclusion of a comprehensive caste enumeration of Backward Classes in the national Census. He argued that caste-wise data are vital to check the socio-economic conditions of these communities and ensure that welfare schemes and reservations reach the right people. Criticising the Centre, he remarked that the government counts cattle and sheep nationwide but avoids counting crores of Other Backward Classes. He also challenged Telangana BJP leaders K. Laxman, Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Eatala Rajender, and Dharmapuri Arvind to convince Mr. Shah to include caste enumeration in the national Census.

Context

Caste censuses and the inclusion of detailed social categories in national population counts remain major political talking points across India as state and national parties debate welfare distribution and reservation quotas. Demands for comprehensive demographic data collection often surface during election cycles and political visits, highlighting friction between regional leaders and the central government over resource allocation and social justice policies.