Caste census: Tejashwi writes to PM Modi, demands reservation in private sector and judiciary
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and the Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and put forward several demands to be included in the caste enumeration including reservation in the private sector.
On 30th April 2025, the Modi government announced the addition of a caste census in the forthcoming population survey.
Mr. Yadav demanded that there should be reservation in contracts, judiciary, proportional reservation based on caste census data and full implementation of pending Mandal Commission recommendations.
Mr. Yadav alleged that for years, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre dismissed the calls for a caste census as divisive and unnecessary.
'When Bihar took the initiative to conduct its own caste survey, central authorities including the top law officer of the government and your party created obstacles at every step. Your party colleagues questioned the very necessity of such data collection. Your belated decision represents an acknowledgement of the groundswell of demands from the citizens who have long been relegated to the margins of our society,'Mr. Yadav said in the letter posted on social media platform 'X' on Saturday.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader further said that the Bihar caste survey, which revealed that Other Backward Class (OBCs) and Extremely Backward Class (EBCs) constitute approximately 63% of state's population, shattered many myths perpetuated to maintain the status quo.
'Similar patterns are likely to emerge nationwide. I am sure that the revelation that disadvantaged communities form the overwhelming majority of our population while remaining severely under-represented in positions of power will create a democratic awakening transcending political boundary,'Mr. Yadav said.
'Caste census first step of the long journey'
He added that conducting the caste census is merely the first step of the long journey towards social justice and the census data must lead to a comprehensive review of social protection and reservation policies.
The former Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Yadav explained that the cap on reservations will also have to be reconsidered post caste census.
He claimed that the caste census is also an opportunity to correct enduring injustices in the upcoming delimitation exercise.
'The redrawing of constituencies should be sensitive to and reflective of the census data. Special provisions must be made for adequate political representation of OBCS and EBCs who have been systematically excluded from decision-making forums. Hence, they will need to be expanded based on the proportional representation principle in state assemblies and the parliament of India,'Mr. Yadav said.
He pointed out that the Constitution, through its Directive Principles, mandates the state to reduce economic inequalities and ensure equitable distribution of resources.
Mr. Yadav said that when we know exactly how many of our citizens belong to disadvantaged groups and their economic condition, targeted interventions must be designed with greater precision.
'The private sector, which has been a major beneficiary of public resources, cannot remain insulated from social justice imperatives. Companies have received substantial benefits-land at concessional rates, power subsidies, tax exemptions, infrastructure support, and various financial incentives all funded by taxpayer money,'Mr. Yadav said in the two page letter.
He added, 'In return, it is entirely reasonable to expect the private sector to reflect the social composition of our country. The context created by the caste census must be used to have open conversations about inclusivity and diversity in the private sector across organisational hierarchies.'
Calling the decision historic, Mr. Yadav said that the decision to conduct the caste census can be a transformative moment in our nation's journey towards equality.
He asked whether the data be used as a catalyst for systemic reforms, or will it be confined to dusty archives like many previous commission reports?
Mr. Yadav also promised constructive cooperation asserting that in utilizing the census findings for genuine social transformation.
'The millions who have struggled for this census await not just data but dignity, not just enumeration but empowerment,'Mr. Yadav said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Remove high-tension power lines running over school premises: Haryana human rights panel
The Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) has issued directions to the state government to remove high tension electricity lines running over educational institutions across the state. The HHRC in a May 29 order said that the presence of high-tension (HT) electricity wires over school premises was a grave violation of human rights. The commission said that such conditions endangered the life, health, and safe learning environment of children, thus violating their fundamental rights. The commission comprising chairperson Justice (retd) Lalit Batra and members Kuldip Jain and Deep Bhatia noted that a decision was taken as far back as 2013 under the chairmanship of the then chief minister that all high-tension power lines passing over government schools, polytechnics, civil hospitals and veterinary hospitals must be removed by June 15, 2013. The expenses for this exercise were to be borne by the power department. 'However, even after more than a decade, the issue remains unresolved,'' the commission noted. The HHRC ordered that power department additional chief secretary, managing directors of the two power distribution companies – the Uttar Haryana and Dakshin Bijli Vitran Nigams and that of the transmission company- the Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam, directors of secondary and elementary education to submit a detailed report within two months detailing actions taken so far and the timeline for removal of such high-tension electricity lines. As per the orders of the commission, the report is to be submitted on the next hearing on August 6 via video conferencing. The commission observed that it is extremely unfortunate that thousands of school children continue to risk their lives daily due to the presence of overhead high-tension electricity wires. This situation not only violated Article 21 of the Constitution but also contravened the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The HHRC said in their order that action must be taken strictly in accordance with the decision of March 18, 2013, and any contradictory decisions made in 2022 cannot override the earlier mandate.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Backwardness, not religion, sole criterion for fresh OBC survey in Bengal: Mamata
Kolkata: "Backwardness, and not religion, was the sole criterion for the fresh OBC survey in Bengal," CM told the state assembly on Tuesday, tabling the report which has identified 140 communities in the OBC category. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now While there are 49 and 91 subgroups in the OBC-A and OBC-B categories, respectively, 50 more groups are being evaluated for inclusion. The legal gridlock on the OBC issue has had an overriding impact on Bengal, from pausing admissions in schools, colleges and universities to state govt recruitments. Banerjee said the issuance of OBC certificates for college admissions and govt jobs would resume immediately. "Many recruitment boards kept the process on hold due to the legal confusion. That will now be resolved," she said. A Calcutta High Court 2024 ruling (now challenged in SC) had scrapped several groups in the Bengal OBC list, bringing down the 17% OBC reservations to 7% and cancelling around five lakh caste certificates. The fresh report allows the Bengal govt to restore OBC reservations to 17%, allocating 7% for OBC-A and 10% for OBC-B. This is set to increase slightly with the 50 additional groups being evaluated. Banerjee said a deliberate misinformation was being spread over the issue of OBC reservations, dubbing it a "political conspiracy" to mislead people. "A false narrative is being circulated on social media and even by some sections of the media, claiming that reservations are being granted on the basis of religion. This is a complete lie," she said. The CM said the HC striking down OBC status for 113 classes and cancelling the OBC-A and OBC-B sub-categories reduced the overall OBC reservation from 17% to just 7%, severely affecting thousands of beneficiaries across the state. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now On May 22, 2024, the HC, while striking down the OBC list, had observed: "Religion indeed appears to have been the sole criterion for declaring these communities as OBCs." The state govt challenged this in Supreme Court and undertook to conduct a fresh survey within three months and complete it by June-end. Following this, a new Backward Classes Welfare Commission, headed by former Calcutta HC judge Asim Kumar Banerjee, was constituted. The commission began reviewing the inclusion of 117 communities — including the 113 that were earlier excluded — based on a fresh benchmark survey by the Bureau of Applied Economics and Statistics. An additional 26 communities also applied for inclusion, prompting the commission to expand its survey. In the report, CM Banerjee said that on May 8, 2025, a new govt notification created fresh sub-categories within the 66 OBC communities that the HC had not invalidated. On May 27, 51 communities were reinstated into the OBC list by the commission, followed by another 25 on June 3. Sub-categorisation was also resumed, placing 35 communities under OBC-A and 41 under OBC-B on the same day. "Every morning, we wake up to a flood of fake news on social media. That is why I felt it was necessary to clarify the entire matter in the assembly," the CM said. Taking a swipe at Left Front, Banerjee said: "No proper surveys were conducted during the CPM era. It was only after we came to office that a benchmark survey was done to create this list. OBC-A groups are comparatively more backward, which is why they are entitled to greater reservation." Leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari tried to intervene, but Speaker Biman Banerjee did not allow him to speak. Adhikari alleged that the entire process was an example of appeasing a particular religious community. "The real OBCs will remain deprived," he said, adding that they would present their views during the next hearing in Supreme Court.
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Bolsonaro denies coup plot, admits post-election power talks
BRASILIA, June 10 -(reuters) Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro denied that he led an attempt to overthrow the government after losing the 2022 election during his trial before the country's Supreme Court on Tuesday, but acknowledged taking part in meetings aimed at reversing the said he and senior aides discussed alternatives to accepting the electoral results, including the possibility of deploying military forces and suspending some civil liberties, but he said those proposals were soon feeling was that there was nothing else we could do. We had to swallow the election results," the ex-president said. "I never acted against the Constitution," Bolsonaro added, holding a copy of the country's 1988 charter that re-established democracy after two decades of military March, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case against Bolsonaro and seven other people, including several military officers, who were charged with plotting a coup to stop Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office in January charges stem from a two-year police investigation into the election-denying movement that culminated in riots by Bolsonaro supporters in the capital in early 2023, a week after Lula took who was the sixth defendant to testify in the case, spent several minutes of his two hours of testimony defending his administration's achievements and his criticism of the country's electoral of witnesses were previously heard by the court, an indication that the case is moving swiftly and could be concluded by the end of the year, avoiding overlap with campaigning for the 2026 presidential has insisted he will run in that campaign, despite an electoral court decision barring him from seeking public office until Monday, Bolsonaro attended the trial to watch testimony from Mauro Cid, his former aide turned whistleblower, and then shook his told the court that the former president reviewed a draft decree that was central to the coup plot and made changes, while keeping a section that ordered the arrest of Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is now overseeing the case against Bolsonaro and his Tuesday, the former president said he only briefly saw the draft decree and never edited it. He also apologized for making unfounded corruption allegations about Supreme Court justices."Forgive me," he told Moraes.A final ruling on Bolsonaro's case is expected by Watch
