‘Disrespecting legacy of Indira, Rajiv’: Congress leader Anand Sharma opposes party’s demand for caste census
NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma on Thursday objected to Congress’s demand for caste census and said any departure from historical position would be misconstrued as disrespecting the legacy of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. Led by opposition, the Congress has made caste census an important poll issue. Rahul Gandhi has strongly backed the idea and has said that the party will conduct caste census in the country if voted to power.
In a letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Anand Sharma, who is a member of the Congress Working Committee, said, “Though caste is a reality of Indian society, Congress has never engaged in nor endorsed identity politics. That is detrimental to democracy in a society with a rich diversity of region, religion, caste and ethnicity.”
“As a representative national party, Congress has believed in inclusive approach, which is non-discriminatory in formulating policies for equity and social justice for the poor and the under-privileged,” Sharma writes in his letter.
Stating that Congress policy on social justice is based on a mature and informed understanding of the complexities of Indian society, Sharma goes on to mention two instances when Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi had objected to caste politics.
“It is pertinent to recall Smt. Indira Gandhi’s clarion call of 1980: ‘Na jaat par na paat par, Mohar lagegi Haath par’ unquote. After the Mandal riots of 1990, Sh. Rajiv Gandhi, as a leader of opposition, in his historic speech in Lok Sabha on 6th September 1990 said: ‘We have problems if caste is defined to enshrine casteism in our country. We have problems if casteism is going to be made a factor for parliamentary and Assembly constituencies. The Congress cannot stand by and watch this nation being divided’ unquote.”
The Congress leader claimed that demand for caste census will be an indictment of successive Congress governments and their work for empowerment of the disadvantaged sections. “It also provides a handle to detractors and political opponents of the Congress,” he added.
Anand Sharma also highlighted that some parties of INDIA bloc have pursued caste-based politics for long.
The senior Congress leader in his letter claimed that caste census could not be a panacea nor a solution for unemployment and prevailing inequalities. “A fundamental departure from time honoured policy on this critical and sensitive subject will have major long-term national implications,” he warned.