Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggesting three measures for the upcoming caste census exercise that the centre announced last month. Kharge recommended that the government conduct an all political party meeting to discuss the caste census.
The three suggestions include the designing the questionnaire, the 50% cap on reservations and that the caste census not be considered divisive.
The Congress party convened a Congress Working Committee meeting last Friday, where they discussed the need for a timeline for the caste census and ensuring that the Bharatiya Janata Party government “doesn’t steal the narrative” from Congress on the caste census issue.
The circular said that all state units "expose the BJP's anti-Bahujan ideology, its resistance to caste enumeration, and its efforts to suppress social justice."
“Unfortunately, your party leaders and yourself went on to attack the INC and its leadership for raising this legitimate demand, which you today acknowledge is in the interests of deeper social justice and empowerment. You have now announced, without providing any details, that the next Census (that was actually due in 2021) will include caste as a separate category as well. I have three suggestions for your consideration,” Kharge wrote in the letter that The Indian Express quoted.
What are the three suggestions?
First suggestion:
In his letter, Kharge said that it is crucial that the Ministry of Home Affair follow the Telangana methodology in the census questionnaire, also involving the final set of questions. The purpose of the caste census, Kharge said, should serve the larger socio-economic objectives.
Kharge said, “the recently-concluded Telangana caste survey was designed and implemented with such goals in mind.”
Second suggestion:
The Congress leader reinstated the government remove the 50 % cap on reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs by a constitutional amendment.
Kharge mentioned that the apex court questioned Article 15(5), which was added to the Indian Constitution on January 20, 2006. In the court라이브 바카라 order later, it upheld the provision after a lengthy review on January 29, 2014. This happened right before the Model Code of Conduct came into force for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, The Indian Express reported.
Third suggestion:
Lastly, Kharge mentioned that the caste census should aim to provide the oppressed and the marginalised sections their rights. He advised against using the caste census as divisive in any way. “Our great nation and our large-hearted people have always come together as one whenever needed, just as we have done after the recent cowardly terrorist attacks in Pahalgam,” he added.
“The Indian National Congress believes that conducting the caste census in a comprehensive manner suggested above is absolutely necessary to ensure social and economic justice and equality of status and opportunity as pledged in the Preamble of our Constitution,” Kharge added.
