"Indira Gandhi kept Mandal Commission report for 10 years": Kavitha questions pro-OBC claim of Congress

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], March 18 (ANI): BRS MLC K Kavitha on Tuesday accused the Congress of doing "injustice" to the communities belonging to the Other Backward Classes. She listed various instances in the past where the Congress took alleged anti-OBC stances.
"After Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru rejected the report (Kalelkar report), there was discussion on BCs in this country for 30 years. It was the Congress government who put the Kalelkar committee aside," Kavitha said in the Telangana Legislative Council.
"The second commission was set up during the Janata party Morarji Desai. It was the BP Mandal Commission; the commission gave its report. The late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi kept the Mandal Commission report for 10 years without implementing it," she added.
She pointed out that a non-Congress government at the Centre implemented the Mandal Commission report.
"Later, in 1990, VP Singh's government implemented it. In 1990, when VP Singh implemented it, Rajiv Gandhi gave a long speech on the floor of the Parliament against BCs. It is in Parliament records. Congress party spoke against the BP Mandal commission and said that the country would be shattered if BCs were given reservations," she said.
"In 1993, there was a country-wide demand for BP Mandal commission, and then 27 per cent reservation was given in jobs. However, until 2006, there was no reservation in educational institutions. In AIIMS, IIT, NIT and others, the reservations were not given until 2008. Later, in 2011, Sonia Gandhi was UPA chairperson, the Congress party was in power, and Rahul Gandhi was in Parliament. At that time, they released Rs.4,500 crores for caste census," she added.
Kavitha also pointed out that though the UPA government conducted a caste census, the data were not made public.
"They did a caste census but did not put out the caste census data till now. Rs.4,500 crores were wasted, and caste census data was not put out. Neither Rahul Gandhi nor Sonia Gandhi spoke about this. All of it went completely into the deep freezer," she said.
"Today, Rahul Gandhi says we should do a caste census. There are records of the census done in 2011, but they have not been put out," she added.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Telangana Assembly passed two bills to enhance the reservation of Other Backward Classes to 42 per cent. Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi said it was "revolutionary" and said the Congress Party will ensure that Caste census in India.
"The Congress government has fulfilled its promise of increasing OBC reservations in Telangana. The actual number of OBC communities obtained through scientific caste count in the state was accepted and a bill for 42 per cent reservation was passed in the Assembly to ensure their equal participation in education, employment and politics. This is indeed a revolutionary step towards social justice through which the wall of 50 per cent reservation in the state has also been demolished," Rahul Gandhi posted on X. (ANI)