Union Minister Anupriya Patel Criticizes Congress and Samajwadi Party Over Caste Census
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 2: Union Minister and Apna Dal (S) national president Anupriya Patel criticized Congress and Samajwadi Party for not prioritizing the caste census when they were in power. She stated that her party has always supported the caste census.
Patel said, “Caste census is not a new issue. We have always supported it. Our party has always advocated in favor of caste census. Our party has a clear stand that the caste census should be conducted. It could be a new issue for the opposition. When they were in power, be it Congress or the Samajwadi Party, they were not concerned about the caste census.”
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh defended the demand for a caste-based census, stating, “Is bringing social empowerment casteism? Is safeguarding the Constitution casteism? Is demanding a caste census casteism? The caste system has been in our basic structure for centuries. We cannot escape this. Congress party is saying that conduct a caste census. The second thing that we are saying is to implement the provisions mentioned in the Constitution.”
Ramesh also called for an amendment in the Constitution to increase the reservation limit from 50 percent, arguing that the population of SC, ST, and OBCs is more than 50 percent.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge added, “We are demanding a caste census to bring in welfare measures. This does not mean that we are not patriotic. They have always worked against the country and the constitution. Patriotic people are only there in Congress. These were the people who bowed down in front of the British for their lives.”
Several opposition parties in India, including Congress, RJD, and NCP-SCP, have a longstanding demand for the conduction of a caste-based census in India to obtain accurate data on the population of different caste groups in the country.
Doubts Revealed
Union Minister -: A Union Minister is a person who is in charge of a specific department in the central government of India. They help make important decisions for the country.
Anupriya Patel -: Anupriya Patel is a politician in India. She is a member of the Apna Dal (S) party and serves as a Union Minister.
Congress -: Congress is one of the major political parties in India. It has been in power many times since India became independent.
Samajwadi Party -: The Samajwadi Party is another political party in India. It is mainly active in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
Caste Census -: A caste census is a survey that counts people based on their caste. Caste is a traditional system in India that divides people into different social groups.
Apna Dal (S) -: Apna Dal (S) is a political party in India. The ‘S’ stands for ‘Sonelal,’ named after its founder, Sonelal Patel.
Jairam Ramesh -: Jairam Ramesh is a leader in the Congress party. He has held various important positions in the government.
Mallikarjun Kharge -: Mallikarjun Kharge is another senior leader in the Congress party. He has also served in many important roles in the government.
Constitutional Amendment -: A constitutional amendment is a change or addition to the Constitution of India. The Constitution is the highest law in the country.
Reservation Limit -: The reservation limit refers to the percentage of seats or jobs reserved for certain groups of people, like Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, to help them get better opportunities.