New Delhi: The Congress will hold nationwide protests at district headquarters on June 6 to press for a caste-based census as no national party can ignore the OBCs if it wants to gain power, AICC OBC Department chairman Captain Ajay Singh Yadav tells Amit Agnihotri in an exclusive interview. Excerpts.
Q. Why has Congress decided to demand caste-based census now?
A. Today, no national political party can afford to ignore the OBCs. The community constitutes around 50 per cent of the voters across the country. We will protest against the lack of OBC data. We will submit memorandums to the respective Chief Ministers and Governors through the District Collectors across the country on June 6 to press for a fresh caste-based census. The decision to raise the issue was taken at the recently-concluded Chintan Shivir in Udaipur from May 13 to 15.
We are demanding that the Central Government should make the 2011 report on caste census by M Veerappa Moily public and order a fresh caste-based census. We have asked our state OBC departments to protest the issue before the DC offices on June 6 and give memorandums to them.
Q. How does the issue impact Congress?
A. See, wherever the OBC are not with Congress, the regional parties have come up. For instance, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Telangana. The OBCs are with us in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, where we are in power and in Maharashtra, where we share power. The OBC are also with us in Madhya Pradesh, where we came to power in 2018.
Q. The Udaipur Declaration mentions giving OBCs representation in party posts. Is that happening?
A. Yes, the Udaipur Declaration says we have to give half the party posts right from the booth level to the AICC to the OBCs, SC, ST and minorities. We need to identify such leaders and empower them.
Q. So, who does the caste census, the Centre or the states?
A. The Centre should do it but if the Central Government is not doing it, the states can do it. For instance, in Bihar, all the political parties have supported a move to hold a caste census. The BJP did it in Madhya Pradesh because of Congress pressure. They were forced to do it.
Q. Are there any related issues as well?
A. Yes, we are also raising the issue of the creamy layer in the OBC. Recently, the Haryana government increased the income limit for the creamy layer from Rs 6 lakh per annum to 8 lakh per annum. Congress has promised to increase it to Rs 10 lakh. The State Government also included agriculture income and salary as criteria for the creamy layer but we want it to be excluded. Then we have also supported the demand for an Ahir regiment in the Army for which agitation is already going on. There are backlogs in OBC appointments as lecturers in universities also.
Q. But what if your memorandums don’t work?
A. This is the first step. We will organise more protests if needed.
