New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Tuesday (July 2) saw the pitch for a caste census being raised by Kannauj MP and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Aazad Samaj Party MP Chandrashekhar in their maiden speeches during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address.
“We are in favour of caste census. Without a caste census, social justice is not possible. It is not possible to give everyone their rights,” said Yadav.
With 37 seats, the Samajwadi Party is the third largest party in the Lok Sabha after the BJP and the Congress. Yadav, who is a former Uttar Pradesh chief minister, also accused the BJP-led NDA government of playing with reservations in the country.
“No other government has played with reservations as much as this government. Government jobs are not being provided because they will have to give reservations. From the state that I represent, youth are unemployed in huge numbers. The government is willfully playing with jobs and reservations,” he said.
Yadav said that the 2024 Lok Sabha election results show that the people of India stand with the INDIA alliance.
“The whole of India has understood that INDIA is pro-India. This election is the moral victory of INDIA. It is a victory of positive politics, of the social justice movement,” he said.
“If August 15, 1947 was the day of political independence in India, then June 4, 2024 was the end of communal politics in India.”
Yadav also said that despite his party’s gains in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he will continue to oppose electronic voting machines (EVMs).
“EVM pe mujhe kal bhi bharosa nahi tha, aaj bhi nahi hai bharosa [I did not trust EVMs yesterday, and I don’t trust them today either]. Even if I win 80 out of 80 seats [in Uttar Pradesh], I still won’t trust them. The EVM issue is not over,” he said.
‘What has changed in 70 years?’
In his maiden speech in the Lok Sabha, Nagina MP Chandrashekhar of the Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) also raised the social justice pitch and called for a nationwide caste census and increasing reservations.
“India got independence on August 15, 1947, but the wealth and resources were not redistributed. A major section of the population remained deprived of resources and respect…,” he said.
“Where are we standing after 70 years of independence? This is a matter of concern. Social justice can happen only when a caste census is done, and along with that, reservation for deprived classes increased based on numbers,” Chandrashekhar said.
The Nagina MP said that caste-based atrocities are continuing in the country against Dalits, backward castes as well as Muslims, including those who have government jobs.
“In the ten years of the Modi government, the injustices committed against the Dalits, Adivasis and Muslims is not hidden from anyone. This is wrong and should come to an end.”
He also said that there should be reservations in the private sector as “the private sector comprises 98% while the government sector only comprises 2%. We should get our share of reservations in the private sector as well.”
“The country is ours as much as everyone else’s. Whoever wants to, kills us – whether it is for keeping a moustache or for riding a horse or for touching a pot of water. What has changed in 70 years? The atrocities against Dalits and Muslims have not stopped. The country runs on the constitution, so that should not be played with,” he said.
