New Delhi: The INDIA bloc Wednesday pledged to introduce a law to prevent atrocities against Extremely Backward Castes (EBCs) in poll-bound Bihar, even as the Congress sharpened its social justice pitch by criticising the BJP-led UP government’s ban on caste-based rallies.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge denounced the UP government’s move during a speech at the party’s Working Committee meeting in Patna. Senior leader Rahul Gandhi also addressed the issue while unveiling the INDIA bloc’s 10-point plan for EBCs—a focused manifesto that includes a proposed law similar to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav was also present at the event where the 10-point plan, effectively a dedicated manifesto for EBCs—who constitute 36 percent of Bihar’s population according to a 2023 state government survey—was unveiled. Prior to the launch, the Congress Working Committee held a meeting that lasted over four hours.
The INDIA bloc has also pledged to increase the reservation for EBCs in panchayats and urban local bodies from the current 20 percent to 30 percent—a strategic move aimed at gaining ground in a constituency traditionally seen as loyal to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U).
The history of reservation for EBCs in Bihar dates back to 1978, when then chief minister Karpoori Thakur implemented the recommendations of the Mungeri Lal Commission, introducing a 12 percent quota for the community.
The Opposition 10-point plan for the EBCs include a promise to give three decimal land (around 1,300 square feet) to the homeless urban poor and five decimal (around 2,177 square feet) to the homeless rural poor belonging to the EBC, SC, ST and other backward castes, Rahul said in his speech.
“Caste based protests are barred in Uttar Pradesh now. Now, that is one stream of thought. On the other hand is ours. We want to offer a vision to the EBCs. We have come up with these 10 points after consulting the EBC community. These are not merely promises of a party,” said Rahul.
The Opposition has also promised a 50 percent quota for SCs, STs, OBCs and EBCs “in government contracts worth up to Rs 25 crore”, as well reservation for EBC children in private schools of the state among others.
At the Congress Working Committee meeting held at Patna’s Sadakat Ashram, the party’s state headquarters, Kharge demanded an explanation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the UP government’s caste rally ban.
“It is shocking that the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, who considers himself PM Modi’s political heir and has previously opposed reservations, has now banned caste-based rallies. On one hand, they speak of conducting a caste census and on the other, they suppress protests against caste-based injustice. The Prime Minister must answer if this is acceptable,” said Kharge.
The Congress also passed a political resolution during the meeting, criticising the Centre’s foreign and economic policies. The resolution praised Rahul Gandhi’s campaign against ‘Vote Chori’ and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter rolls in Bihar.
“The revelation of large-scale vote chori and irregularities in our electoral rolls has shaken public belief in the very foundations of our democracy…This exposes the systematic and deliberate conspiracy used to manufacture an elected majority for the BJP. A government built on stolen mandates and rigged voter lists has no moral or political legitimacy…Vote chori is inseparable from attacks on the Constitution, the economy, social justice, and national security,” states the resolution.
The resolution accused the BJP-RSS of perpetuating a “systematic poisoning of the social fabric of India” through communal polarisation, deliberately creating hateful campaign material and engaging in the “worst kind of rumor-mongering to demonise minorities”.
“Shameful attempts have been made at the highest levels of government to mainstream the RSS, an organisation which has consistently proved its lack of allegiance to the Indian Constitution…The fundamental principles of our democracy—liberty, equality, fraternity, and justice—are being demolished brick by brick,” it added.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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