Congress's OBC Panel Bets Big On Caste Census Narrative, Siddaramaiah At Bengaluru Meeting
The All India Congress Committee (AICC)'s OBC Advisory Council meeting in Bengaluru on Wednesday saw some major messaging—both ahead of the Bihar elections and as a strong show of support for Siddaramaiah as Karnataka's chief minister. By the end of the one-and-a-half-day meet, the message was loud and clear: the Congress wants to reclaim its Other Backward Classes (OBC) base, push the Centre for a caste census, and back Rahul Gandhi's 'jitni aabadi, utna haq" (rights proportionate to population) campaign.
Calling Rahul Gandhi a 'Nyaya Yoddha" (Justice Warrior), the council passed what's now being referred to as the Bengaluru Declaration—a three-point resolution that the party hopes will define its social justice pitch in the run-up to the Bihar polls.
The most significant demand in the Bengaluru Declaration was a national-level caste census, to be conducted officially by the Census Commission of India (ORGI). The council said the exercise must go beyond enumeration and include social, economic, educational, employment, and political details, using the Telangana Socio-Educational-Employment-Economic-Political-Caste (SEEEPC) survey model as a reference.
Siddaramaiah reminded delegates that Karnataka had already carried out a similar survey under the Kantharaju Commission, initiated in 2015 during his first term and submitted only in 2024. It has since been pushed into cold storage, dismissed as 'dated". But the Congress government has now ordered a fresh survey, expected to be completed by October this year.
'There must be a fight for 75% reservation or proportional representation based on actual data," Siddaramaiah told the leaders. 'We must demand political representation and economic justice—including reservation in private sector jobs, promotions, contracts, schemes, and market access."
The second resolution called for breaking the 50% cap on reservations, echoing Rahul Gandhi's statement last year that the ceiling is 'arbitrary" and an obstacle to justice. Gandhi has publicly committed to removing the ceiling through legislation, calling it 'necessary to protect the Constitution".
The council also backed Gandhi's criticism that the history of Dalits and backward communities is being erased from school textbooks. Leaders agreed that states must support his push if the Congress wants to 'grow and survive".
The third resolution called for enforcing reservation in private educational institutions as per Article 15(5) of the Constitution.
Siddaramaiah also used the platform to hit out at the BJP and the Sangh Parivar. 'They polarise India through caste. We will unite India through the Constitution. They treat OBCs as mere symbols. We uplift them as equals," he said. 'Every time the Congress brings in a policy for justice, the BJP resists it, not just politically, but ideologically. Because they are uncomfortable with genuine backward class advancement."
He also reminded the party that 'AHINDA is not a vote bank. It is the voice of India's conscience."
Congress insiders say the entire OBC push—including the Bengaluru Declaration—is part of a larger strategy: to win back OBC votes, revive leadership from within the community, and position the Congress as the party of social justice.
For Siddaramaiah, the meeting was also a personal win, protecting his position as a strong OBC face of the Congress, especially at a time when his leadership is under scrutiny within the Karnataka unit.
The party also acknowledged that OBC support has steadily drifted to the BJP over the decades and agreed it was time to confront that truth. Leaders discussed rebuilding ground support and learning from past missteps.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, however, hit back sharply.
Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra called the entire exercise a 'Bihar election gimmick" and challenged the Congress to declare Mallikarjun Kharge as its prime ministerial candidate if it truly cared about backward classes.
'They won't—because Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi will never allow it," he said.
He also ridiculed Siddaramaiah's social justice pitch, recalling how the Rs 165-crore Kantharaju report was shelved allegedly 'after a phone call from Delhi and advice from Rahul Gandhi."
top videos
View all
'Where was your concern for the backward classes then?" he asked.
Despite the BJP's criticism, the Congress is betting big on the caste census narrative. With 42 top leaders in attendance, including Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chiefs, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leaders and former chief ministers, the Bengaluru Declaration is being positioned as the party's blueprint for its social justice campaign—and a key roadmap for reclaiming lost political ground in the upcoming elections.
Get Latest Updates on Movies, Breaking News On India, World, Live Cricket Scores, And Stock Market Updates. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated!
tags :
bengaluru BJP caste congress karnataka OBC
view comments
Location :
Bengaluru, India, India
First Published:
July 16, 2025, 20:24 IST
News politics Congress's OBC Panel Bets Big On Caste Census Narrative, Siddaramaiah At Bengaluru Meeting
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
14 minutes ago
- India.com
Trumps Five Jets Remark Sparks Political Row in India; Rahul Gandhi Demands Clarity, BJP Hits Back
New Delhi: A political clash has erupted in India following US President Donald Trump's ambiguous remarks about five jets being downed during Operation Sindoor, India's military response to the April Pahalgam terror attack. The comment has prompted Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi to demand an explanation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while the BJP has accused him of harboring a "traitor's mentality." Trump, speaking at a private dinner on Friday, claimed that five fighter jets were shot down during the operation but did not specify whether the aircraft belonged to India or Pakistan. "Planes were being shot out of the air. Five, five, four or five, but I think five jets were shot down actually," Trump said. Operation Sindoor was launched by India to strike terror infrastructure across nine locations in Pakistan. These included key sites like the Jaish-e-Mohammed headquarters in Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba's base in Muridke. In the aftermath, Pakistan claimed it had shot down multiple Indian jets — including three Rafale fighters, which are among the most advanced aircraft in the Indian Air Force. India acknowledged some losses during the operation but has not disclosed a specific figure. Instead, it emphasized the strategic lessons learned from the mission. "What is important is that, not the jet being down, but why they were being down," said India's Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan, while firmly denying Pakistan's assertion that six Indian jets were shot down. He added, "The good part is that we are able to understand the tactical mistake which we made, remedy it, rectify it, and then implement it again after two days and fly all our jets again, targeting at long range." Following Trump's comments, Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter (X) on Saturday, sharing the video and demanding answers from the Prime Minister. "Modi ji, what is the truth behind the five jets? The country has a right to know," he wrote in Hindi. — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 19, 2025 Responding sharply, BJP leader Amit Malviya pointed out that Trump had not specified the nationality of the jets and accused Rahul Gandhi of aligning with Pakistan's narrative. "Rahul Gandhi's mentality is that of a traitor. In his statement, Trump neither took the name of India nor said that those five planes belonged to India. Then why did the prince of Congress accept him as belonging to India? Why did he not accept him as belonging to Pakistan? Does he sympathise more with Pakistan than his own country?" Malviya wrote in a post on X in Hindi. He continued, "The truth is that Pakistan has not yet recovered from Operation Sindoor... but Rahul Gandhi is in pain! Whenever the country's army teaches a lesson to the enemy, Congress gets irritated. Anti-India sentiment is no longer a habit of Congress; it has become its identity. Rahul Gandhi should make it clear - is he an Indian or a spokesperson of Pakistan?"
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
14 minutes ago
- Business Standard
SC bench to hear Presidential reference on timelines for bills on July 22
In a five-page reference, President Murmu posed 14 questions to the Supreme Court and sought to know its opinion on the powers of governors and the President Press Trust of India New Delhi A five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court is scheduled to consider on July 22 the Presidential reference on whether timelines could be imposed by judicial orders for the exercise of discretion by the President while dealing with bills passed by state assemblies. According to the cause list posted on the apex court website, a bench comprising Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, PS Narasimha and Atul S Chandurkar will be hearing the matter. In May, President Droupadi Murmu exercised her powers under Article 143(1) and posed 14 crucial questions to the Supreme Court over its April 8 verdict that fixed timelines for governors and the President to act on bills passed by state assemblies. Article 143 (1) of the Constitution deals with the power of President to consult the Supreme Court "if at any time it appears to the President that a question of law or fact has arisen, or is likely to arise, which is of such a nature and of such public importance that it is expedient to obtain the opinion of the Supreme Court upon it, he may refer the question to that Court for consideration and the Court may, after such hearing as it thinks fit, report to the President its opinion thereon". The April 8 verdict, passed in a matter over the powers of the governor in dealing with bills questioned by the Tamil Nadu government, for the first time prescribed that the President should decide on the bills reserved for her consideration by the governor within three months from the date on which such reference is received. In a five-page reference, President Murmu posed 14 questions to the Supreme Court and sought to know its opinion on the powers of governors and the President under Articles 200 and 201 in dealing with bills passed by the state legislature. Article 200 deals with situations with regard to the passage of bills by the state assembly and subsequent options available to the governor on grant of assent or withholding of assent or sending the bill to the President for reconsideration. Article 201 deals with the bills reserved for the President's consideration by the governor. The Centre has resorted to the presidential reference instead of seeking a review of the verdict, which has evoked sharp reactions in the political spectrum. The rules prescribe that the review petitions be heard by the same set of judges in the apex court in chambers, while presidential references are heard and considered by a five-judge Constitution bench. The apex court, however, may choose to refuse to answer any or all of the questions raised in the reference. Article 200, the reference underlined, which prescribes powers of the governor to be followed while assenting to bills, withholding assent to bills and reserving a bill for the President's consideration, does not stipulate any time frame upon the governor to exercise constitutional options. The President said that similarly, Article 201, which prescribes the powers of the President and the procedure to be followed while assenting to bills or withholding assent therefrom, does not stipulate any time frame or procedure to be followed by the President for the exercise of constitutional options under Article 201 of the Constitution. President Murmu also questioned the exercise of plenary power under Article 142 of the Constitution by the Supreme Court to make the bill re-presented to the Tamil Nadu Governor, as deemed to have been passed. "Whereas the concept of a deemed assent of the President and the Governor is alien to the constitutional scheme and fundamentally circumscribes the power of the President and the Governor," the reference of May 13 said. President Murmu said the contours and scope of provisions in Article 142 of the Constitution in context of issues which are occupied by either constitutional provisions or statutory provisions also require an opinion of the Supreme Court of India. "It appears to me that the following questions of the law have arisen and are of such nature and of such public importance that it is expedient to obtain the opinion of the Supreme Court of India thereon," President Murmu said while posing 14 questions to the apex court for its opinion. The SC verdict has set a timeline for all governors to act on the bills passed by the state assemblies and ruled that the governor does not possess any discretion in the exercise of functions under Article 200 of the Constitution in respect to any bill presented to them and must mandatorily abide by the advice tendered by the council of ministers. It had said that state governments can directly approach the Supreme Court if the President withholds assent on a bill sent by a governor for consideration. A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, which passed the verdict, said that reserving a bill on grounds such as "personal dissatisfaction of Governor, political expediency or any other extraneous or irrelevant considerations" was strictly impermissible by the Constitution and would be liable to be set aside forthwith on that ground alone. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Indian Express
36 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
CPM calls for a nationwide protest against SIR in Bihar
NEW DELHI: The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) on Saturday called for a nationwide protest on August 8 against SIR. A statement by the Polit Bureau of the party alleged that the Election Commission (EC) is biased in favour of the BJP-led government and complicit with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in implementing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar. 'The EC, which until now had acted in favour of the BJP-led government, has now become complicit in implementing the RSS or Sangh Parivar agenda. This (SIR) attack on democratic rights, which is sought to be extended across the country, must not be allowed. It is to be noted that even some of the alliance partners of the BJP, like the TDP, have voiced their concerns about the SIR. The CPM calls for protests to be held throughout the country on 8th August 2025 against this anti-democratic exercise of the EC,' read a statement issued by the Polit Bureau of the party on Saturday. The party further said that the Commission wants to extend this exercise to the entire country-- in the name of revising the electoral rolls-- and is appropriating the authority to verify the citizenship of voters, which is outside its constitutional remit. 'Under the baseless pretext of weeding out foreigners from the electoral rolls, they are disenfranchising vast sections of minorities and other select groups. The entire process is fraught with various violations, and even the right to vote guaranteed by the Constitution may be denied to many," the party said. "The NRC exercise, which was widely opposed by the people before the Covid pandemic, is sought to be enforced surreptitiously through the back door,' the party added.
