‘Caste census not a solution for unemployment, inequalities’: Cong’s Anand Sharma writes to Kharge

He added, "In my humble opinion, this will be misconstrued as disrespecting the legacy of Indira ji and Rajiv ji."

Former Union Minister and Congress leader Anand Sharma. (Express Photo by Abhinav Saha)

Congress leader Anand Sharma on Thursday wrote to the party’s national president Mallikarjun Kharge, saying that caste census cannot be a “panacea nor a solution for the unemployment and prevailing inequalities.”

“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. As a representative National Party, Congress has believed in the inclusive approach, which is non-discriminatory in formulating policies for equity and social justice for the poor and the under-privileged,” he wrote in his letter.

He added, “In my humble opinion, this will be misconstrued as disrespecting the legacy of Indira ji and Rajiv ji.”

Congress leader Anand Sharma writes to the party’s national president Mallikarjun Kharge.

The letter reads, “…In my considered view, a Caste Census cannot be a panacea nor a solution for the unemployment and prevailing inequalities..”

The letter also reads, “…In my humble… pic.twitter.com/U0xUTNXpIF

— ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2024

With election season well underway, the Congress has been advocating for a caste census, placing it at the top of their list of priorities if they form the next government.

“Caste census is a revolutionary step. The moment we come to power at the Centre, we will conduct this exercise. The second thing we will do is to provide a legal guarantee for providing MSP to farmers,” Gandhi said on the last day of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in MP.

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