‘BJP and Congress have been fiercely anti-OBC,’ says BSP supremo Mayawati

BSP supremo Mayawati criticised both the BJP and Congress over the caste census row in the ongoing parliament session on Wednesday, stating that both parties have been fiercely anti-OBC.

Taking to the social media platform X, she said, “Yesterday, the ongoing dispute between Congress and BJP, especially on caste and caste census, was a drama and an attempt to deceive the OBC community.”

She further remarked, “The history of both parties regarding their reservation has been fiercely anti-OBC, both openly and behind the scenes. It is not right to trust them.”

In a series of posts highlighting her government’s achievements, she said that the OBC reservation was implemented due to the efforts of the BSP. “The OBC reservation was implemented here due to the efforts of the BSP,” she noted.

Mayawati also supported the national caste census, calling it a special issue of public benefit. “National Caste Census is a special national issue of public interest, towards which the Centre needs to be serious. Crores of poor, backward, and Bahujans also have a right in the development of the country, in fulfilling which the caste census plays an important role,” she said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and BJP MP Anurag Thakur entered into a heated argument over the caste census. Anurag Thakur said that those whose caste is unknown are speaking on the issue of the caste census. “Those whose caste is not known, talk about the caste census. I want to remind the speaker that in this house itself, a former prime minister RG-1 (Rajiv Gandhi) had opposed reservation for OBCs,” the BJP MP said.

Reacting to this, the Congress leader remarked that whoever raises the issues of Adivasi, Dalit, and the backward gets abused. Rahul Gandhi replied, “Whoever raises the issues of Adivasi, Dalit, and the backward is abused. I will happily accept these abuses. Anurag Thakur has abused me and insulted me. But I do not want any apology from him.”

The caste census was one of the Congress party’s promises in the 2024 general elections. The Congress party has promised to pass a constitutional amendment to raise the Supreme Court-mandated 50 percent cap on reservations for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC), as per its poll manifesto. The party also promised to conduct a nationwide socio-economic and caste census to enumerate the castes and sub-castes and their socio-economic conditions.