Not right to trust BJP & Cong on caste census: Mayawati

Indian Express

02-05-2025

Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati on Friday said it was not right for the Dalits and other backward classes (OBCs) to trust the BJP or Congress on the issue of caste census and that such a mistake would cost them dear.
Claiming that the OBCs' interests lie only with the BSP, she wrote on X, 'The BJP and Congress are now rushing to take credit for it, attempting to position themselves as champions of OBCs. However, their track record shows a pattern of oppression and exclusion of Bahujan communities.'
She claimed that if the intentions and policies of the BJP and Congress had truly been honest and inclusive, the OBC community would already have had a fair share in the country's development. She accused the two parties of politicising the issue, claiming their anti-Bahujan character continues to deprive OBC communities of their due rights.
She said the government took the decision to include caste enumeration in the upcoming census after a 'long delay' and 'much reluctance'.
'In that case, the mission of self-respect and dignity initiated by Babasaheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar would have seen real success,' she wrote.