Cong targets PM Modi ahead of Maharashtra visit, questions BJP’s stand on caste census

PTI, Oct 5, 2024, 3:35 PM IST

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Thane in Maharashtra, the Congress on Saturday questioned the BJP’s stand on the caste census and raising the reservation cap of 50 per cent.
Questioning the Mahayuti government’s delays in holding the elections to the Municipal Corporations in the state, including in Thane, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said it is an attack on democracy.
“The non-biological PM is in Washim and Thane, Maharashtra tomorrow. Four questions he must answer: Where does the BJP stand on the issue of a caste census and raising the cap of 50 percent on reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and OBCs imposed by the Supreme Court,” he said in a post on X.
Ramesh said Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi is in Kolhapur today, where he paid his respects to the legendary Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj — the forerunner of the social justice movement in India — at his Samadhi.
Meanwhile, he said the prime minister is scheduled to visit the Pohradevi shrine, which is of particular reverence to the Banjara community.
Ramesh said while Gandhi has been forcefully raising the pressing issue of a caste census and the raising of the cap of 50 per cent on reservations for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs, “the non-biological PM has been unusually silent on this matter”.
In fact, the Banjara community has been echoing this demand for a caste census, since it is the only way to make progress on its own long-standing demands for enhanced reservations, the Congress leader noted.
“Why is the non-biological PM so silent? What is he afraid of?” he asked.
“Why is the Mahayuti so afraid of elections?” Ramesh also asked, alleging the Mahayuti government’s repeated delays in holding the elections to the Municipal Corporations in the state, including in Thane, “is a blatant attack on democracy and the rights of Maharashtra’s urban citizens”.
He said the government claims the delays are due to issues like OBC reservations and ward delimitation, “but the reality is that the Mahayuti is afraid of facing the electorate, fearing that a loss would undermine its image before the Lok Sabha, and now the Vidhan Sabha elections”.
With the municipal corporations under an unelected administrator, the ruling coalition has been using the civic body’s funds and resources to benefit its own MLAs and supporters, he alleged.
“Without elected representatives, Thane’s citizens have also struggled to get their voices heard and grievances addressed. This is a clear attempt to consolidate power, and a blatant subversion of democratic principles. Why has the BJP betrayed the people of Thane and urban Maharashtra? How much longer do the people have to wait to have their voices heard?” the Congress leader asked.
He also asked what the BJP was doing to prevent farmer suicides, as seven farmers take their lives on an average day in Maharashtra.
This heartbreaking statistic comes from the state’s minister for relief and rehabilitation, who reported that 2,366 farmers died by suicide between January and October last year.
“The reasons are evident: 60 per cent of districts faced drought conditions last year but no help arrived from the government. When crops were damaged by unseasonal rains in more than half of the state, the farmers were extended loan waivers, but 6.56 lakh farmers were deprived of this relief due to software glitches,” said Ramesh.
“In the face of this state-sponsored callousness, the Congress has consistently guaranteed farmers MSP as per the Swaminathan Committee’s recommendation, a farm loan waiver with a Permanent Commission set up to implement it smoothly, and settlement of all crop insurance claims within 30 days. What is the BJP’s vision to support Maharashtra’s and India’s farmers?” he asked.
The Congress general secretary said Article 15(5) of the Constitution provides for reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes in all public and private educational institutions, aided or unaided and the Supreme Court had upheld the constitutionality of this amendment on January 29, 2014.
“Why has the non-biological PM slept for 10 years on this crucial issue and not brought a bill to enact this provision legally?” Ramesh asked.
The elections in Maharashtra are due later this year and the Congress-Shiv Sena (UBT)-NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) is seeking to oust the ruling BJP-NCP-Sena alliance and wrest power in the state.