Hyderabad: Telangana Backward Classes (BC) Commission former chairman Vakulabharanam Krishna Mohan Rao has expressed serious objections over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi‘s portrayal of Telangana’s caste enumeration and 42% BC reservation initiative as a “national role model.” He stated that the Telangana caste survey was conducted without authority as per the Constitution and legal framework.In an open letter to Rahul Gandhi on Saturday, Krishna Mohan Rao mentioned that while the Article 342A(3) permits states to maintain their own BC lists, any enumeration or survey, related to the identification of BCs must be conducted by a commission constituted under the Article 340 with the assent of the President, or under statutory provisions such as the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1952, or the Collection of Statistics Act, 2008.He noted that the SEEEPC (Socio-Economic Educational Employment Political Caste) survey in Telangana was executed by the planning department through IAS officers, without the authority of any such legally mandated body, rendering it unconstitutional.“The caste survey lacks public consultation, transparency, and scientific rigour, with no caste-wise data made public to date. Despite this, the Telangana govt proceeded to act upon it,” the ex-chairman said.He stated that the BC reservation in education and employment falls squarely under the purview of the BC Commission. He added that the govt could have entrusted the BC Commission with this task, backed by clear terms of reference (TOR), and ensured a scientifically sound process. “Unfortunately, that was not done,” he said.