Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Congress party over the caste census, accusing it of forgetting its “dark history” of “denying” Dalits and OBCs their constitutional rights, including reservation.
The BJP, she said, is no less and has had to cave in to public pressure on conducting a caste census.
The Union government on Wednesday decided to include caste enumeration in the forthcoming census exercise.
Mayawati further stated that if the intentions and policies of the BJP and Congress had truly been honest and inclusive, the OBC community would already have had a fair share in the country’s development.
“In that case, the mission of self-respect and dignity initiated by Babasaheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar would have seen real success,” she added.
Highlighting the “political motivations” behind the move, the BSP chief said the OBC community, like Dalits, has become politically aware due to the sustained struggle of Babasaheb Ambedkar and the BSP.
“Today, OBCs are largely conscious of their rights. The apparent support they receive from other parties is merely driven by electoral compulsions, not genuine concern. It is clear that the true welfare of OBCs lies only with the BSP,” she asserted. Mayawati said that the time has come for the Bahujan community to give real meaning to the slogan, ‘Vote hamara, raj tumhara nahi chalega’ (Our vote, your rule -this won’t work).
