Latest news with #Extremely
The Hindu
8 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Manoj Jha questions Centre's intentions for caste census
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Rajya Sabha member Manoj Jha on Monday (June 9, 2025) raised serious concerns over the Centre's intentions for the caste census. Mr. Jha said the policies of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were not only anti-reservation, but also conspiring to mislead the Backward Classes (BC) and Extremely Backward Classes (EBC). He alleged that the government was pretending in the name of a caste census, and there was a lack of transparency in the entire process. 'After the painful incident of Pahalgam, suddenly the Prime Minister realised that it is necessary to conduct a caste census as per the demand of most of the people, so he announced it in a hurry. But the move, character and face of the BJP, which has always been anti-Bahujan and against reservation, is now visible,' Mr. Jha said while addressing the press at the party office in Patna. 'Our national president Lalu Prasad ji has been warning that those who follow Bunch of Thoughts politics on the ideas of Guru Golwalkar can never be serious about reservation, which is now clearly visible,' he added. Mr. Jha asserted that the Centre wanted to create confusion in the name of the caste census and questioned the reason behind the government announcing that population figures for OBCs would not be released. He added that such figures were necessary as per Article 340 of the Constitution, he added. 'When the castes are counted and the figures are not revealed, then which policy will be implemented towards reservation and increasing the reservation in the private sector? NITI Aayog and other agencies can work on planning, social, economic upliftment and increasing reservation on the basis of data only when the data comes from the government level,' Mr. Jha said. Accompanied by the party's chief spokesperson Shakti Singh Yadav and national vice-president of the party Uday Narayan Choudhary at the press briefing, Mr. Jha pointed said that besides party leader Tejashwi Yadav, leaders from the Congress, Samajwadi Party and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) were also in favour of the figures being published. Mr. Choudhary, on the other hand, said that the caste census was a hoax and nothing had been disclosed in this regard. He explained that the caste survey was conducted in Bihar under pressure from Mr. Yadav. Still, the 65% reservation benefit was not being given because the intention of the BJP and the Nitish Kumar government was not right, he charged. Tejashwi's demands Earlier in the day, in a post on X, Mr. Yadav addressed Chief Miniser Kumar about responding to his letter dated June 5 on increasing the reservation to 85% for all deprived classes in Bihar. 'Nitish ji you did not respond to my letter, is it because you have no answer or your officials do not show you the letters? The parties that beat the drum of social justice, on whose strength the Modi government is running, why are they failing to include the 65% reservation limit increased by our government in the 9th Schedule of the Constitution?' Mr. Yadav asked. 'The Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Union Minister Chirag Paswan, Jitan Ram Manjhi, Upendra Kushwaha should speak out on the issue of reservation against this injustice faced by Dalit, Adivasi, backward, and extremely backward classes. Politics is not just about clinging to power,' he added. Mr. Yadav further said, 'If all these people cannot even get this small demand fulfilled by the Prime Minister, then their politics and staying in such an alliance is shameful. If Nitish Ji is unable to speak on this issue in front of the Prime Minister and Home Minister, then he should call a special one-day session of the Assembly, and then see how we get it implemented.'
The Hindu
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Despite police ban, Rahul Gandhi reaches Ambedkar Hostel in Darbhanga
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's was stopped enroute to Ambedkar hotel where he is scheduled to interact with the students of Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Other Backward Class (OBC) and Extremely Backward Class (EBC) under Siksha Nyay Samvad., by Darbhanga police on Thursday (May 15, 2025). However, Mr. Gandhi got down from the car and walked to the venue. His convoy was stopped at the gate of the hostel and police informed the Congress leader that Town Hall has been allotted to hold the party programme. However, the Congress workers including Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan and Bihar Congress head Rajes Kumar were also present at the gate and shouted slogans in support of Mr. Gandhi. Mr. Gandhi's stage was already built near Ambedkar hostel and many students and Congress workers are adamant on holding 'Shiksha Nyay Samvad' programme there only. After police did not allow enter his car, Mr. Gandhi got down from the car and started walking towards Ambedkar Welfare hostel. Congress workers were found walking along with Mr. Gandhi. Despite police not officially allowing him to interact with the students, Mr. Gandhi reached the hostel. He walked about 2.5 kms from Town hall to the hostel there to address them, it was his fourth visit to Bihar this year in the poll-bound State. Before entering the hostel, Indian National Congress (INC) posted Rahul Gandhi's video on 'X' in which Mr. Gandhi said that in Bihar, the NDA's 'double engine deceitful government' is preventing him from interacting with Dalit and backward students at Ambedkar Hostel. 'Since when has dialogue become a crime? Nitish ji, what are you afraid of? Do you want to hide the state of education and social justice in Bihar? There is no democracy left in the government. I am just asking three things, government should invest in the education sector, break the cap of 50% reservation and give reservation in private educational institutions,'Mr. Gandhi said in 'X' post. Holding the photograph of Bhimrao Ambedkar, Mr. Gandhi addressed the gathering stressing that nobody can stop him to raise the issues pertaining to youths. 'In the country, Dalits, backward classes, extremely backward classes, and tribals face injustice 24 hours a day. You face discrimination and are obstructed in the education system. Therefore, our demand is, conduct a caste census in the proper manner, implement reservations in private colleges and universities but Narendra Modi and the Bihar government are not implementing these laws,'Mr. Gandhi said. He added, 'So we will put pressure on them and ensure this is done. Just as they could not stop us from coming here, they will not be able to stop us in the future either. Until they implement reservations in private institutions, we will keep advancing, keep fighting.' Mr. Gandhi reiterated three demands which include conducting a caste-based census, implementing reservation in private educational institutions and enforcing the SC-ST sub-plan. Lashing out at Bihar police Mr. Gandhi said, 'The Bihar police tried to stop me, but they couldn't. They couldn't stop us because I have the strength of the youth behind me. No power in the world can stop me. India has democracy and is governed by the Constitution, not by dictatorship. No one can stop us from raising our voice for social justice and education.' He pointed out that the country's 90% population needs to understand its strength. Addressing the students Mr. Gandhi alleged that Dalits and backwards youths are being distracted and held back in bureaucracy, corporate India, the education system, and the medical system. 'You won't find anyone from this 90% population. But If you look at the MGNREGA list, you will only find people from the Dalit, backward, and tribal communities. All the contracts, all the wealth, go into the hands of a few people, and you are distracted with misleading narratives, so you must stand together,'Mr. Gandhi said. After Darbhanga, he visited Patna's Sadaquat Ashram, the Congress headquarters to watch the movie Phule.
