Bengaluru, July 16: The Advisory Council of the OBC Department of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), after two rounds of deliberations in Bengaluru, has announced a nationwide campaign to demand a caste census, removal of the 50% cap on reservations, and extension of quotas to private educational institutions.
Addressing a press conference, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who chaired the meeting, outlined the three key resolutions. The first resolution calls for a national-level Caste Census conducted by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (ORGI). The census must include the social, economic, educational, employment, and political status of each caste, with Telangana’s SEEEP survey model being recommended as a reference.
The second resolution demands the removal of the 50% reservation cap, allowing more flexibility to ensure fair representation of OBCs across education, public services, and politics. The third resolution seeks the extension of reservations to private educational institutions under Article 15(5) of the Constitution.
Reading the ‘Bengaluru Declaration’, Siddaramaiah and OBC leaders expressed gratitude to Rahul Gandhi, referring to him as “Nyaya Yoddha” for his push for social justice. The declaration credited Gandhi’s efforts for forcing the government to acknowledge the demand for a caste census.
AICC OBC Department Chief Anil Jaihind said former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot moved the second set of resolutions. These include making the upcoming ‘Bhagidari Sammelan’ in Delhi on July 25 a grand success, conducting OBC issue workshops in all state capitals, and training OBC cadres to strengthen the discourse on social justice.
Leaders including Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel, Veerappa Moily, and V. Narayanasamy attended the meeting, which ended with a formal vote of thanks to CM Siddaramaiah for hosting the council.
