New Delhi [India], May 6 (ANI): Congress party’s General Secretary in-charge of Communications Jairam Ramesh said on Tuesday that the party’s president Mallikarjun Kharge has written a second letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, putting forward three demands regarding the caste census.
The demands include having a comprehensive questionnaire on caste census, abolishing the 50 per cent reservation cap, and implementing reservation in private educational institutions.
The Congress General Secretary said that since the party President had not recieved a reply on the letter sent on April 16, on the night of May 5, another letter was sent to the Prime Minister from Kharge.
“The Congress President had written to Prime Minister that a caste census is necessary to take place. He had requested that the national census be done as soon as possible, which was supposed to happen in 2021, and in that caste census be done too, he had written on 16 April. We did not get a reply of that letter, so yesterday night (May 5), Kharge had written to PM again,” Jairam Ramesh told ANI on Tuesday.
Talking about the three suggestions of Congress to the PM on caste census, Ramesh showed the questionnaire of previous national census, consisting of 34 questions, and highlighted the 13th question which pertains to caste.
“Questionnaire prepared should be done correctly. This questionnaire, which is prepared by the census commissioner, there are 34 questions in this, and the 13th question is related to caste, and it asks whether you are an ST (Scheduled Tribe), or SC (Scheduled Caste) or other? This is the question? Caste census cannot happen like this. Kharge ji has asked that the questions be made properly and with care, just don’t look at counting in mind,” the Congress leader added.
Ramesh highlighted how the “Telangana model” for caste census could be used as a reference, highlighting that it had 56 questions, and also looked to understand the social and economic conditions of the people.
“They have mentioned the Telangana model, in which there were 56 questions, and that was not just for counting but to understand the social and economic situation of the people, so that Constitutional right are given to everyone,” he said.
Talking about the second suggestion of removing the 50 pc reservation cap, he said, “Second thing is the demand of removing the 50 pc reservation cap of SC, ST, OBC groups, which was put in 1962 through a Supreme Court judgement. An amendment should be brought in the Constitution, so the ceiling does not exist.”
On the third suggestion, of implementing reservation in private educational institutions, he said that Article 15 (5) has already been declared constitutional by the Supreme Court, however it could not be implemented by the previous Congress government due to the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) being imposed for the 2014 general elections.
“Third suggestion is the Section 15 (5) which was brought in, through which reservation in private educational institutions will be implemented for SC, ST, OBC communities. It has not been implemented because for 10 years there was a petition on it in Supreme Court. On January 30 2014, the decision was given that 15 (5) is Constitutional. However, the model code of conduct was imposed, so our PM Manmohan Singh could not bring it forward,” Ramesh claimed.
Ramesh further criticised the PM and the central government, claiming that they took a “u-turn on caste census.”
“Suddenly, as you are scared and were caught off guard, you had announced this, suddenly as the nation mourns the Pahalgam attack, the mood of the nation is different and in the middle of this were people are scared and you have announced this and took a u turn on caste census,” Ramesh said.
Criticising the previous statements of PM Modi on the caste census Ramesh alleged, “You had called Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, other Congress leaders as urban-naxals, you claimed we want to do division in society through caste census. ‘Ek ho toh safe ho’, those were the slogans.”
Kharge’s first letter to the PM had read, “I wrote to you on 16 April 2023 and placed before you the demand of the Indian National Congress to conduct a caste census. Unfortunately, I did not receive any reply to that letter. Thereafter, your party leaders and you yourself continuously attacked the Congress Party and the Congress leadership for raising this legitimate demand. Today, you yourself are admitting that this demand is in the interest of profound social justice and empowerment.” (ANI)
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