Caste census: BJP SC Morcha chief flays Cong

President of the BJP SC Morcha and former IAS officer SR Ladhar has sharply criticised the Congress party over its recent push for a caste census, calling it “hypocritical” and “a political gimmick”. In a public statement, Ladhar accused the Congress of historically opposing key measures for the uplift of Dalits and Other Backward Classes (OBCs), despite now advocating for policies it once allegedly neglected.

“The Congress party is raising the slogan of caste census not out of conviction, but convenience,” said Ladhar. “It has a long history of denying representation to marginalised communities and opposing the vision of Dr BR Ambedkar,” he said.

Ladhar cited several examples to support his claims, including what he described as Congress’s opposition to reservations in the early post-independence period, the party’s delay in implementing the Mandal Commission report, and its alleged role in Ambedkar’s electoral defeats.

Turning to Punjab, Ladhar criticised past Congress governments for what he described as selective and uneven application of Scheduled Caste reservations. “Despite SCs making up nearly 32 per cent of Punjab’s population, the Congress never took serious steps to expand reservation or address landlessness among Dalits,” he said. He further alleged that state-run institutions such as Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU) lacked adequate representation of SC candidates in faculty positions during Congress rule.