SP members raise caste census demand in Council, stage dharna

The SP leaders said backward castes were deprived of proportionate share in the recent state Budget and were also not able to avail the benefits of reservation enshrined in the Article 340 of the Constitution.

The Samajwadi Party (SP) members on Saturday trooped into the Vidhan Parishad’s well and staged a sit-in after the state government rejected their demand of a caste census in Uttar Pradesh, reiterating the stand it took earlier in the Vidhan Sabha a few days ago.

The SP leaders said backward castes were deprived of proportionate share in the recent state Budget and were also not able to avail the benefits of reservation enshrined in the Article 340 of the Constitution (For representation only)

Raising the issue of caste census through the adjournment motion, SP members Naresh Chandra Uttam, Swami Prasad Maurya, Lal Bihari Yadav, Ashutosh Sinha and others said the survey was a must to get the authentic caste-wise data that would ensure proportionate distribution of resources and benefits of government welfare schemes to communities as per their numerical strength.

The SP leaders said backward castes were deprived of proportionate share in the recent state Budget and were also not able to avail the benefits of reservation enshrined in the Article 340 of the Constitution. They further pointed out that during the implementation of the Mandal Commission’s recommendations it was said that reservation was being provided to OBC believing their population to be 52% on the basis of the 1931 caste census with the rider that a cast renumeration would be necessary in the future.

Swami Prasad Maurya claimed that the state government was fully entitled to carry out a caste census and questioned that if Bihar and other states could it, there was no reason why U.P. could not follow suit. Saying that the issue was of a larger public interest, SP members insisted on a discussion in the House.

Rejecting the demand, minister Swatantra Dev Singh, in his reply, said as per the Constitution the Central government alone was entitled to carry out a census in the country or a state. He also enumerated to the House the steps that the state and the Central governments had taken for welfare and empowerment of backward and SC/ST castes and communities.

Not satisfied with the government’s response, all SP members trooped into the well and sat on a dharna demanding that the chair direct the government to order a caste census or at least send a recommendation to this effect to the Centre. When his repeated appeals to members to keep the House in order failed, chairman Kunwar Manvendra Singh adjourned the House for 15 minutes before rejecting the adjournment motion.