Caste census will go long way to formulate policies for marginalised: Congress

New Delhi, Oct 3 (IANS) The Congress on Tuesday welcomed the caste census conducted by the Bihar government which was released on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti in Patna, saying that it will go a long way in helping to formulate policies for the marginalised sections of the society.

The Congress also asked why the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was feeling panicked about it and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi terming it as a “sin”.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here, the Chairman of the OBC department of the Congress Captain Ajay Singh Yadav wondered as to why the Prime Minister was feeling uncomfortable and described the caste-based-census as ‘paap’ (sin).

“Is identifying the extremely poor and marginalised sections of the society, so that they can be helped, a sin?” Yadav asked, adding that it is the best thing to do.

He pointed out that the Congress Working Committee (CWC) – party’s highest decision making body, had recently passed a resolution and also announced in its Raipur session that the party, once it forms government at the centre, will carry a caste census.

He reiterated the party’s demand that the government of India should release the details of the caste census carried out in 2011 by the UPA government.

He also alleged that the OBCs were among the most marginalised sections of the society, and while referring to former Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s statement where he had said that of 90 secretaries in the government of India, only three were OBCs.

He said, similar was their plight in judiciary and higher education. He said, in 44 Central Universities across the country, there were only 9 OBC professors.

He also claimed that there was no reservation for OBCs in the NEET.

Accusing PM Modi, Yadav said that if he (the Prime Minister) was a well-wisher of the OBCs, he would have carried out the caste census.

He also refuted the claims by the Prime Minister that caste census will divide the country and said it would help in improving the lot of people, who are extremely marginalised and poor.

He also suggested that the Supreme Court ruling about 50 percent ceiling on reservations in Indra Sawhney case stands overruled by a five judge bench of the apex court, which ruled in favour of ten percent reservation for the Economically Backward Classes.

He also pointed out that now the reservation has already reached 60 percent.

Asserting and reiterating the stand of the party that there should be reservation within the Women’s Reservation, he said, the women of the SC, STs and the OBCs cannot compete with the women of the general category.

He also alleged that it was the ploy of the RSS to deny marginalised women the benefit of reservation.