India
-Krishna Kripa
The
Bharatiya
Janata
Party
(BJP)
has
accused
the
Congress
of
deceiving
the
public
about
caste
enumeration.
BJP
spokesperson
Sambit
Patra
stated
that
the
Modi
government
is
the
first
to
initiate
a
caste
census
in
Independent
India.
He
criticised
Congress
for
not
conducting
such
a
census
during
its
long
tenure
in
power.
image
Patra
emphasised
that
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi’s
actions
are
focused
on
policy
changes
that
aim
to
bring
social
justice
and
improve
people’s
lives.
He
claimed
that
while
Congress
leaders,
since
Jawaharlal
Nehru,
have
talked
about
poverty
alleviation,
it
was
Modi
who
made
significant
strides
in
reducing
poverty.
Congress’s
Response
and
Demands
In
response,
Congress
has
demanded
a
clear
timeline
for
the
caste
enumeration
process.
They
also
reiterated
their
call
to
remove
the
50
per
cent
reservation
cap
for
Scheduled
Castes
(SCs),
Scheduled
Tribes
(STs),
and
Other
Backward
Classes
(OBCs).
The
party
credited
Rahul
Gandhi’s
campaign
for
influencing
the
government’s
decision
on
caste
enumeration.
Patra
highlighted
that
over
17
crore
people
have
risen
out
of
poverty
under
Modi’s
leadership,
as
acknowledged
by
the
World
Bank.
He
contrasted
this
with
Congress’s
history
of
making
promises
without
taking
concrete
action.
According
to
him,
the
BJP-led
government
is
committed
to
making
policies
for
the
upliftment
of
various
castes.
BJP’s
Stand
on
Caste
Census
The
BJP
asserts
that
it
is
not
enough
to
merely
speak
about
caste
welfare;
decisive
actions
are
necessary.
Patra
pointed
out
that
while
Congress
often
spoke
about
caste
issues,
it
never
took
steps
to
conduct
a
caste
census.
The
BJP
believes
that
such
a
census
is
crucial
for
formulating
effective
policies
for
different
communities.
The
Modi
government
recently
announced
that
caste
enumeration
will
be
part
of
the
upcoming
census.
This
decision
aims
to
ensure
transparency
and
address
social
inequalities
more
effectively.
The
BJP
views
this
move
as
a
significant
step
towards
achieving
social
justice
through
informed
policy-making.
The
ongoing
debate
between
BJP
and
Congress
highlights
differing
approaches
to
addressing
caste-related
issues
in
India.
While
Congress
seeks
immediate
action
and
policy
changes,
BJP
focuses
on
implementing
structured
processes
like
the
caste
census
to
inform
future
policies.
With
inputs
from
PTI
