INDIA Bloc to Push for Caste Census, to Hold First Public Meeting in Bhopal Next Month
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Sept 13: The INDIA bloc of opposition parties on Wednesday decided to give a push to the holding of caste census and hold talks among themselves for seat-sharing while agreeing to hold its first public meeting in Bhopal, the capital city of poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, in the first week of next month.
The decisions were taken at the first meeting of the 14-member Co-ordination committee of INDIA held at the residence of the Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar in Delhi. The nominees of all the parties except the Trinamool Congress, attended the meeting. The TMC representative Abhishek Banerjee could not remain present as he had to appear before the Enforcement Directorate on, what the opposition leaders said, “vendetta summoning.”
The Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said after the meeting, the INDIA alliance had “agreed to take up the issue of caste census.” Congress leader KC Venugopal said Wednesday evening after the bloc’s coordination committee met in Delhi. The group, banded together to present a united opposition front ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha election, will also “start process for determining seat-sharing”, he said.
“The coordination committee decided to start the process for determining seat sharing. It was decided that the member parties will hold the talks and decide at the earliest,” a joint statement by the committee read. “The first public meeting will be held at Bhopal in the first week of October on the issues of rising prices, unemployment and corruption of the BJP government,” it added.
For seat sharing, state-level committees will be formed to hold discussions with INDIA parties in that state. The panel also authorised the sub-committee on media to decide upon the names of television news anchors on whose shows none of the INDIA parties will send their representatives.
“All alliance parties will participate in the public meeting (to be held in Bhopal) and raise issues of price rise, unemployment and corruption. There was also consensus over the caste census. We have also authorised our media committee to release the list of TV anchors on whose shows leaders of our alliance parties won’t participate,” Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Raghav Chadha said.
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, who attended the meeting, said his suggestion was not to discuss seats already held by alliance members and focus on the seats held by NDA parties.
“One of things I had proposed is that the seats that are already held by members of the INDIA block should not be open for discussion, we should be discussing the seats held by the BJP, NDA or parties that are not part of either of those alliances…”
The decision to give a push to caste census in the absence of Mr Banerjee was significant because the TMC had in the Mumbai meeting refused to support the bloc’s intention to push the government to conduct a caste census; Trinamool boss and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had opposed adding this demand to a joint political resolution. The decision may not go down well with Ms Banerjee.
“The parties present in the meeting agreed to take up the issue of Caste Census,” INDIA said, while also slamming Mr Banerjee’s absence as “vendetta politics.” “Abhishek Banerjee… could not attend the meeting due to a summons by the Enforcement Directorate, arising out of the vendetta politics of the Bharatiya Janata Party.”
After the July meeting INDIA passed a resolution called for such a census; all parties flagged “hatred and violence against minorities” and called for a “fair hearing for all socially, educationally and economically backward communities… as a first step, implement the caste census”.
A caste-based survey is being conducted by the Bihar government led by the Janata Dal (United) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal, both of whom are INDIA members. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has called it a move that will help the disadvantaged, and it was upheld by the Patna High Court last month. The viability of a caste census is now being argued before the Supreme Court but it had refused to stay the on-going operation in Bihar.
INDIA contested its first elections last week – seven bypolls across Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Tripura, Kerala, Bengal and Jharkhand. Eyebrows were raised after it was revealed that the bloc would fight each other in three of these seats – in Kerala, Bengal and Uttarakhand. Some AAP leaders, however, maintain that the INDIA bloc has been formed for challenging the BJP in the Parliamentary elections and no so much for understanding in the state Assembly elections.
After its Mumbai meet, INDIA had said it planned to contest future elections together but added an immediate caveat, saying it would be “… as far as possible.” The opposition group has also formed a sub-committee to select news organisations to boycott; “… sub-group on Media to decide upon the names of the anchors on whose shows none of the INDIA parties will send their representatives,” their statement said.
The 14-member committee includes KC Venugopal (Congress), Sharad Pawar (NCP), TR Baalu (DMK), Hemant Soren (JMM), Sanjay Raut (SS), Tejashwi Yadav (RJD), Abhishek Banerjee (TMC), Raghav Chadha (AAP), Javed Ali Khan (SP), Lallan Singh (JD(U)), D Raja (CPI), Omar Abdullah (NC) and Mehbooba Mufti (PDP).
Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee — on way to Spain to seek investment in West Bengal — had an impromptu meeting with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe at the Dubai airport on Wednesday. The conversation between the two leaders, apparently, was all politics and on the occasion, the President asked a crucial question that’s uppermost in the minds of many.
“Can I ask you a question,” Mr Wickremesinghe is heard saying in a short clip that was circulated online. On Ms Banerjee’s acquiescence, he said, “Will you lead the Opposition alliance? We all are wondering.” “Oh my goodness,” the Bengal Chief Minister said, completely taken aback. Then laughing, she added, “It depends on the will of the people, you know… If people support us, we can be in position (power) tomorrow.”
