Kharge Urges PM Modi to Remove 50% Quota Cap
In a politically charged intervention just ahead of the final phase of the Lok Sabha elections, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to take three decisive steps on the issue of caste and economic justice. His suggestions include conducting a nationwide caste census, raising the cap on reservation beyond the current 50% ceiling, and making the collected data publicly available to ensure transparency and policy alignment.
Caste Census Demand Revived
Kharge’s first demand calls for the implementation of a comprehensive caste census, stating, “The time has come to eliminate the 50% ceiling on reservations imposed by the Supreme Court in the Indra Sawhney judgment.” He emphasized that the cap, in its current form, has constrained the ability of the government to deliver justice to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC), especially in the wake of recent data from the Bihar caste survey.
Quota Cap a Roadblock, Says Kharge
The Congress chief asserted that numerous communities that fall within the OBC category remain deprived of their fair share in education and employment due to the ceiling on reservation. “Given the extensive evidence that OBCs form a significant portion of our population, the current 50% cap stands in the way of equitable representation,” Kharge wrote.
He urged the Prime Minister to either legislate or bring a Constitutional Amendment to override the cap and allow for affirmative action in proportion to the actual population figures. This, he argued, would reflect the real composition of Indian society and correct long-standing structural imbalances.
Public Access to Data a Must
The third demand made by Kharge involves making the findings of any caste-based census public. “We demand that you, in your capacity as Prime Minister, make the Socio-Economic Caste Census, 2011 public immediately and also conduct a fresh Caste Census across the country,” he wrote. The Congress leader argued that access to this data is essential for evidence-based policymaking and to ensure that the most marginalized communities receive targeted support.
His letter is seen as a strategic move to position the Congress on the side of social justice and backward class empowerment, at a time when issues of caste and reservation are surfacing with renewed intensity in the electoral discourse. The demand also puts the spotlight back on the BJP-led government’s reluctance to engage with the idea of a caste census at the national level.
With the Lok Sabha polls drawing to a close, the timing of Kharge’s intervention is politically significant and could stir debate across party lines, particularly among regional outfits that have long demanded a reassessment of reservation policies based on empirical caste data.
