New Delhi: The Congress is banking on the caste census and quota within quota in 33 per cent of women’s reservation issues to forge greater unity within the opposition alliance INDIA and to counter the BJP ahead of the 2024 general elections. Though the grand old party has been demanding a fresh caste census to determine the share of various groups in the welfare agenda for a long, the Congress started playing up the OBC census issue to counter the BJP claiming credit for passing the Women’s Reservation Bill that promises 33 per cent quota for women in the Lok Sabha and the state Assemblies.
The Bill had been initially passed during the previous UPA government regime in the Rajya Sabha in 2010, but could not sail through as Congress’ allies SP, RJD and even the BJP opposed the legislation. The SP and the RJD had been demanding a quota for SC, ST and OBC women within the overall 33 per cent reservation, but the Congress did not subscribe to their views.
However, the Congress, which is spearheading the opposition block INDIA, recently tweaked its stand and demanded quota within quota in the Women’s Reservation Bill. “The INDIA parties like the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and even DMK support our demand of quota for SC, ST and OBC within the overall 33 per cent quota in the Women’s Reservation Bill,” AICC OBC department chairman Ajay Yadav told ETV Bharat.
“The INDIA alliance is one on this issue and we will keep pressing the demand of fresh caste census and quota within quota over the coming days. The BJP may try to claim credit for passing the Bill, but the fact is that most parties supported the legislation in Parliament. Otherwise, getting such overwhelming support for the Bill was not possible,” he said.
The demand for quota within quota was first raised by former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and quickly followed up by ex-president Rahul Gandhi during the debate on the Bill in the Lok Sabha. In the Rajya Sabha, AICC in-charge of organisation KC Venugopal presented the party’s view. On Thursday, Rahul regretted that the UPA’s Women’s Reservation Bill did not have quota within quota. Party insiders said the revised position would allow the grand old party to forge greater unity within the opposition alliance INDIA.
The head of the AICC OBC department said the party was not playing politics over the caste census and the quota within quota issues and was only pursuing its social justice agenda. “You see, the caste census has been on our social justice agenda and was included in the resolution passed at the Plenary Session in Raipur in February. How will social justice be delivered if we don’t have the numbers of various caste groups in the country? The UPA has conducted a caste census, but the government has not published the data so far. When the INDIA block comes to power in 2024, we will get a fresh caste census done to ensure the issues of OBCs are addressed,” said Ajay Yadav.
“The quota within quota is needed otherwise the SC, ST and OBC women will not be able to get the benefit of 33 per cent reservation in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies. The BJP has passed the Bill, but has not given any timeline for it. We want the 33 per cent quota to be implemented from the 2024 Lok Sabha elections,” he added. “The views expressed by Rahul are extremely important and clearly lay down what the party thinks and envisions,” AICC functionary Gurdeep Sappal said.
