In fresh caste census salvo, Mayawati says Congress, BJP two sides of the same coin

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) national president Mayawati on Saturday again attacked the Congress and the BJP on the caste census issue, asserting that the both parties are two sides of the same coin.

She accused the Congress of forgetting its “dark history” of “denying” Dalits and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) their constitutional rights, including reservation.

She further stated that Bharatiya Janata Party is no less and had to cave in to public pressure on carrying out a caste census.

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The BJP-led Union government on Wednesday decided to include caste enumeration in the forthcoming census exercise.

In a series of posts on X on Saturday, the BSP chief 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.

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“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 mentioned in the post.

The BSP leader said 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 the 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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Earlier on Friday, Mayawati had hit out at the BJP and Congress for politicising the issue of caste enumeration, adding that they were in a race to take credit for the move and prove themselves OBC friendly.

“Today, when the OBC community is aware to a great extent due to the continuous struggle of Baba Saheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar and BSP, these parties are hankering for OBC votes, like those of Dalits. These parties are selfish and have a compulsion to appear as their well-wishers. It is clear that the interest of OBC lies only with the BSP, not elsewhere,” she had written on X.