On Tuesday (19th December), Opposition members of Parliaments (MPs) were seen mocking Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar. Expressing his anguish and pain over these shameful happenings in the Parliament, the Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said he was feeling personally hurt by the targeting of his farmer and Jat background. Reacting to this, the Congress president Malikarjun Kharge said on Wednesday that caste should not be dragged into every issue and used to incite people. Notably, the Congress party has batted for caste census for its political gains, and now targeting the Vice President as he expressed his disappointment over the insult.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, “One should not talk like this. One should avoid provoking people. Chairman said the insult that happened was caste-based and that farmers were also insulted, but my caste is also always attacked and I don’t say anything.”
The entire I.N.D.I. alliance, in partnership with Congress and Rahul Gandhi, is advocating for a caste-based census and the concept of ‘proportional representation based on population.’ The unveiled caste census data in Bihar has set the stage, and against this backdrop, Rahul Gandhi consistently emphasised that a Congress government will conduct a comprehensive nationwide caste census, urging the Modi government to reveal its results.
Rahul Gandhi claims that caste-related statistics were recorded during the 2010-11 census. The Congress government remained in power until 2014. However, the census data was released in 2011. Now, the question arises: did Congress refrain from releasing the caste census data because they feared losing their vote bank? If not, then why were these figures not disclosed until 2014? The sudden recall of this census by Congress raises political questions.
The recent love and affection of Congress for OBCs is politically motivated. Rahul Gandhi’s assertion regarding Congress advocating for the welfare of the OBC community is contradicted by historical facts. The Congress has consistently opposed the interests of the OBC community, particularly evident in their stance on reservations, often citing the Mandal Commission. Notably, the commission was established during Morarji Desai’s Janata Party government in 1979, with its report published in 1980.
Despite this, during Indira Gandhi’s tenure from 1980 to 1984 and Rajiv Gandhi’s term from 1984 to 1989, the Mandal Commission recommendations were not implemented. It was only in 1990, under the Janata Dal government, with support from the BJP, that the Mandal Commission recommendations were finally put into effect. Thus, Rahul Gandhi’s claim is once again found to be inaccurate in light of historical events.
Even in the recently concluded assembly elections, Congress made the caste census their main issue. Now, Rahul Gandhi has recorded the mimicry of India’s Vice President done by TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee. While ignoring the gross disrespect shown towards the post of the Vice President, Mallikarjun Kharge is trying to insist that caste should not be brought into the discussion.
