Rahul stirs boiling reservation waters in Maharashtra ahead of polls
Image credit X.com @INCIndia
Rahul Gandhi guarantees removing 50 pc reservation cap
By Raisina Correspondent
New Delhi, October 5: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday stirred the boiling reservation pot in Maharashtra. Gandhi said that the Congress will work to lift the 50 per cent ceiling on reservation in government jobs and educational institutions.
The Congress leader was in Kolhapur to unveil a statue of Shivaji. Gandhi vowed to get the caste census done, saying an “X-Ray is essential to know the true status of the backward castes in the country”.
The Congress leader lent his voice for reservation amid the quota activist Jarange Patil threatening to widen stir in Maharashtra. Spearheading the agitation of reservation in the Marathwada region, Patil has now threatened to intensify his stir across Maharashtra.
Also Read: Haryana votes to decide winner in battle of freebies
The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is facing the poll heat because of the reservation stir in Maharashtra.
“Gandhi today guaranteed that the Congress and INDIA bloc parties will ensure removal of the 50 per cent bar on reservations,” the Congress in a media statement said on Saturday.
Addressing the ‘Samvidhan Saamman Sammelan’ in Kolhapur (Maharashtra) today, Gandhi also announced that his party will also ensure the caste census in the country. He said these two things were most important to save the Constitution.
He alleged that the BJP and the RSS were opposed to caste census because they were scared of the truth. He said, “ninety percent” Indians did not have any control over the resources and the decision-making process in the country.
Also Read: Congress showcases Ashok Tanwar with message of ‘Ghar Wapsi’
Gandhi’s Kolhapur visit is almost his blowing the poll bugle for the Maharashtra Assemble elections. The Election Commission is soon likely to unveil the poll dates for Maharashtra Assembly elections.
The Congress-led Opposition bloc had humbled the NDA in the recently held Lok Sabha elections. Patil’s reservation agitation had spoiled the NDA poll prospects per Mumbai-based political observers.
Elaborating about the caste census, Gandhi said: “It will be like an X-ray of the socio-economic situation prevailing in the country. It will be followed up with a socio-economic survey to determine who controlled how much resources in the country. It will also reveal how much control different castes exercised over the decision-making process in the country.”
Also Read: Haryana Assembly poll loss may hurt BJP deeply
Gandhi observed, this is the twenty-first century and the age of data. He said, the caste census will help in providing the actual data about different castes and their representation, participation and control over resources and decision-making processes.
Join WhatsApp channel of The Raisina Hills
About The Author
