E-Paper
Deepender: Will conduct caste survey in Haryana if voted to power
Interacting with a section of reporters in Delhi, Deepender said that the caste-based survey will help in granting reservation to communities as per their population strength and it will also help in identifying more backward communities.
Congress Member of Parliament from Rohtak Deepender Hooda said that his party will conduct a caste-based survey in Haryana, if voted to power in the upcoming assembly polls. The Congress MP’s statement comes amid BJP focusing to consolidate other backward classes (OBC) voters in the assembly polls by inducting Nayab Singh Saini, an OBC to the chief minister’s chair in Haryana.
Interacting with a section of reporters in Delhi, Deepender said that the caste-based survey will help in granting reservation to communities as per their population strength and it will also help in identifying more backward communities.
“The BJP government under the leadership of Manohar Lal Khattar had reduced the creamy layer for backward classes from ₹8 lakh to ₹6 lakh and now the Saini government has hiked the creamy layer again to ₹8 lakh. Who is responsible for the mess created by the Khattar government and lakhs of youths deprived of reservation. After coming to power, we will hike the creamy layer to ₹10 lakh,” Deepender added.
Earlier Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had sought a caste census in the country. In Haryana, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda also said several times that a caste survey will be conducted in Haryana if Congress is voted to power. Hooda also announced to hike creamy layer for the OBCs in Haryana to ₹10 lakh, besides forming a backward class commission.
During a programme in Rewari on Saturday, former Haryana minister and Congress’s national chairman for other backward classes, Captain Ajay Yadav alleged that the BJP government in Haryana has snatched scholarship and employment from lakhs of youths by reducing the creamy layer and to woo voter in assembly polls, Union Home minister Amit Shah earlier this month announced to hike the creamy layer again to ₹8 lakh in Haryana.
“Khattar had added income from salary and agriculture to the income for the purpose of eligibility, which excluded a large majority of OBCs from availing reservation benefits. The Congress will conduct a caste survey in Haryana after coming to power. The BJP government should apologise to the backward classes for its previous decision of reducing creamy layer to ₹6 lakh. The BJP is trying to mislead the OBCs, but the people are aware of such tactics,” Yadav added.
