CWC approves Caste Census in Congress-run Himachal and other states
Shimla, October 10
In an effort to counteract BJP’s religious polarization tactics, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) has unanimously passed a resolution to conduct a caste census in Himachal Pradesh and other 3 Congress ruled states, following the example of Bihar. The decision was reached after a four-hour discussion during the CWC meeting held in Delhi on Monday.
Apart from Himachal Pradesh, Congress-ruled states such as Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh will also carry out caste census, marking the first-ever such census in the country, stated senior party leader Rahul Gandhi in a media brief on Monday. Following the caste enumeration, the Congress party plans to conduct an economic survey to ensure that the underprivileged receive their entitlements.
The move towards a caste census has sparked political controversy, with the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing Congress of dividing society along caste lines. BJP leader Jai Ram Thakur issued a press statement denouncing the initiative and alleging that it aims to sow division within society.
Jairam Thakur, Leader of Opposition, criticized the Congress for what he perceives as an attempt to divide society and regain political ground through such tactics. State BJP co-in-charge Sanjay Tandon accused Congress of engaging in appeasement politics and further dividing the nation along caste lines. Both Thakur and Tandon voiced their concerns regarding this unprecedented move.
While Himachal Pradesh is expected to follow Bihar’s lead in conducting the caste census, the government is expected to provide further details regarding the implementation of this initiative in due course.
It is worth noting that the nationwide general census, originally scheduled for 2020, was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and has not yet commenced. In the meantime, the CWC has taken the significant step of approving a caste census in four states.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on return to Shimla will convene a meeting with District Collectors (DCs) and Superintendents of Police (SPs) from all districts. The meeting will address various government schemes, law and order issues, disaster relief and rescue efforts, as well as the status of pending district-level projects. Officials will also be instructed to expedite the resolution of pending cases related to the Forest Conservation Act (FCA) and Forest Rights Act (FRA).
Originally scheduled for Monday, the Chief Minister’s meeting with DCs and SPs has been postponed to Tuesday due to the CWC meeting.
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