Former Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole accuses government of misleading OBCs over caste census

Senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee MPCC President Nana Patole on Friday September 11 launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modirsquos administrationPatole accused the Union Government of deceiving the Other Backward Classes OBC community under the guise of conducting a caste censusSpeaking to the media after leading a delegation to meet Maharashtra Governor Jishnu Dev Varma Patole alleged that the Modi government is actively attempting to shift the OBC population into the open general category through the census processThe former Maharashtra Congress chief while highlighting specific flaws in the census format stated that out of the 40 questions included in the enumeration form Question No 10 reveals an underlying design to categorise OBCs under the open category as per IANSPatole highlighted The OBC community comprises numerous castes and subcastesmdashsuch as Kunbi and Banjaramdashwith varied regional nomenclatures across states Lamta in Andhra Pradesh Kurmi or Jat in other regionsrdquoHe also added Classification based on linguistic and regional identities requires urgent updating so that these names are accurately reflected in a castewise enumeration as cited by IANSNana Patole urges the center to adopt a comprehensive caste censusHe urged the Centre to adopt the comprehensive caste census models previously implemented by state governments in Bihar and Telangana to ensure fair representationPatole further noted that despite formal written representations sent to Prime Minister Modi by the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi the Union Government has failed to respond reflecting what he termed an antiOBC mindsetIn the memorandum submitted to Governor Varma the delegation emphasised that authentic updated demographic data is critical for formulating social justice policies welfare schemes educational opportunities and employment strategiesAs per IANS the delegation demanded that a provision for a separate dedicated columncategory for OBCs be made in the national census enumeration formIndependent and precise data collection for every subcaste within the OBC umbrella will address existing socioeconomic and educational disparities among different subgroupsDelegation emphasises on various issues across MaharashtraThe delegation emphasised the need for a comprehensive mapping of educational progress economic status employment participation and utilisation of government schemes to enable scientific objective policymakingPatole also demanded the direct intervention by the Maharashtra State Government to strongly advocate for an independent caste census with the relevant central ministriesAddressing the severe agricultural distress in the state Patole urged the government to declare a drought in affected regions including parts of Vidarbha Western Maharashtra and Marathwada where dry spells have damaged standing cropsWith inputs from IANS