Congress Turns To Caste Politics To Counter BJP's Hindutva: Proposes SC/ST Quota In Private Jobs

The Congress party is looking to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) strong Hindutva push by pushing the caste card in the run up to the 2024 general elections.

The Congress sub-group on Social Justice and Empowerment, headed by Mukul Wasnik and K Raju, has put forward a series of recommendations aimed at leveraging various caste cleavages that may lead to electoral gains for the party.

These recommendations include the establishment of a Social Justice Ayog modelled after Niti Aayog, the reservation of seats for OBCs in Parliament and assemblies, and a quota system for private sector jobs and higher judiciary.

The sub-group has also proposed the Rohit Vemula Act, meant for protection of SC-ST students from discrimination.

As per reports, the recommendation to introduce SC/ST quota in private jobs has come from Kodikunnil Suresh, a Congress MP and working president of Congress's Kerala unit.

During the Chintan Shivir, some of these suggestions made by the sub-group were rejected by the Congress Working Committee.

This time, too, these recommendations would undergo review by Jairam Ramesh-led drafting committee during the AICC meet on today (24 February) in Raipur and would then be included in the Plenary resolution.

In front of the BJP's juggernaut, a lot of opposition parties have been turning towards caste-based politics to renew their electoral fortunes.

The Samajwadi Party's Swami Prasad Maurya has opened a front against the Tulsidas's 'Ramcharitmanas', declaring it is discriminatory to women and socially backward classes.

The nervousness among the opposition is palpable as it resorts to talking about caste, when the BJP's plank is "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas...".

More so, all the parties are hoping to tame the euphoria that would erupt once the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya is inaugurated next year, which will be an advantage for the BJP in the general elections.

Congress, too, seems to be preparing for the inevitable by raking the demand for SC/ST quota in private jobs, which it had already rejected last year.