Mayawati slams Congress over caste census, says BJP's hand forced by public pressure
LUCKNOW: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Congress party over the caste census, accusing it of forgetting its "dark history" of "denying" Dalits and OBCs their constitutional rights, including reservation.
The BJP, she said, is no less and has had to cave in to public pressure on conducting a caste census.
The Union government on Wednesday decided to include caste enumeration in the forthcoming census exercise.
Mayawati, in a series of posts on X on Saturday said, "In its rush to claim credit for the central government's decision to conduct a caste census for the first time since 1931 and post-Independence, the Congress has conveniently forgotten that it has a dark chapter in history of depriving crores of Dalits and OBCs of their constitutional rights, including reservation -- a stance that eventually cost it power."
She further alleged that the Congress's newfound affection for Dalits and OBCs after losing power is nothing more than opportunistic politics aimed at securing votes.
"This love for Dalits and OBCs is not genuine but political deception meant to woo voters. Who can forget their sinister intent to ultimately weaken and end reservation by making it ineffective?" she wrote.
The BSP leader the BJP is no less than the Congress when it comes to undermining the constitutional and welfare objectives of reservation.
"In fact, both parties are two sides of the same coin. However, due to public pressure and vote politics, the BJP has also had to bow before the people's demand for a caste census which is welcome," she said.
"From delaying the conferring of Bharat Ratna on Babasaheb Dr.Bhimrao Ambedkar to their casteist and hostile stance on granting OBCs reservation under Article 340, the approach of both the Congress and BJP has been discriminatory. But their politics of votes continues in strange ways. People must remain alert," the former UP chief minister wrote.
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