Congress leader Anand Sharma questions party’s stance on caste census

Anand Sharma questions Congress stance on caste-census, highlighting contradiction with past leaders, in letter to Mallikarjun Kharge.

Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Anand Sharma has written to party president Mallikarjun Kharge to question the party’s stance on caste-census.

Mr. Sharma has said the party’s recent emphasis on caste contradicts the position taken by former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.

The letter, written on March 19, was sent to all CWC members, leaders of the Congress Legislature Party and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chiefs.

The letter has gone public on a day when the top leadership of the Congress including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi had accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of making a systematic effort to cripple the principal opposition party financially.

In it, Mr. Sharma writes that “though caste is a reality of Indian society, Congress has never engaged in nor endorsed identity politics. That is detrimental to democracy in a society with a rich diversity of region, religion, caste and ethnicity”.

“National Caste Census has emerged as an important issue in the electoral debate. This has been endorsed by India Alliance led by Congress. Parties of the alliance, also include those which have pursued caste-based politics for long. However, the Congress policy on social justice is based on a mature and informed understanding of the complexities of Indian society,” he writes

“Though caste is a reality of Indian society, Congress has never engaged in nor endorsed identity politics. That is detrimental to democracy in a society with a rich diversity of region, religion, caste and ethnicity.”