Congress pushes for graded aid in backward classes census plan
The proposal was discussed during the party's first OBC advisory council meeting in Bengaluru last week.
Led by Lok Sabha opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, Congress is advocating a caste census that captures social, educational, economic, and employment status of every individual to properly identify and empower OBCs. Alongside the census, the party aims to introduce internal categorisation among OBCs to ensure the most deprived receive a larger share of govt assistance.
Anil Jaihind, national president, Congress' OBC wing, said the party intends to adopt a data-driven approach. "While the idea is not finalised, the party is considering the slogan 'Jitna Pichada, Utna Madadh', wherein the extent of backwardness of an OBC community will determine the extent of govt assistance. This is what we intend to pursue," Jaihind said.
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The Haryana-based functionary said categorisation within OBCs could range from four to six groups, with the most backward getting the highest priority in schemes and grants.
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The proposal draws inspiration from Karnataka's leaked caste census, which identified a special category for the most backward classes and recommended higher internal reservation for them. The document was presented during the advisory council's discussions in Bengaluru.
Jaihind also said Congress will urge Karnataka to consider the Telangana model of SEEEP (Social, Educational, Economic, Employment, Political) caste survey, which he described as quite scientific.
"Everyday science and society evolve. What happened 10 years ago will not be the same today. Today, the Telangana model of SEEEP caste survey is quite good, and we would expect Karnataka to better this model," he said, noting that artificial intelligence had been used to analyse the Telangana data.
The Congress-backed council also demanded that the Centre raise reservation ceiling to 75%, pointing to the inclusion of EWS quota as precedent. "The Centre, with the inclusion of EWS quota, has already breached the 50% mark, so there is no hindrance for the Centre to reach 75% in the quota system," it said.
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