Ensuring social justice Cong' ideological commitment, not poll issue: Kharge to party spokespersons

New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday urged party spokespersons to take the message of social justice to the people fearlessly and treat it as an ideological commitment and not an election issue.

In a message to the spokespersons at their workshop on social justice, he said it is their responsibility to take the issue to the grassroots and create awareness on it among the masses.

Calling the party spokespersons as the voice of our thoughts, he said today, when the country is becoming aware of the caste census, it is our responsibility to take this topic to the public with facts, with sensitivity, and without fear.

"This is not only a fight for social justice but also a fight to protect the soul of the Constitution. I appeal to you not to consider this campaign as just an election issue, it is our ideological commitment. Today's dialogue is a proof of our unity in this direction," Kharge said in his video message.

नमस्कार साथियों,

सबसे पहले, मैं लोकसभा में नेता प्रतिपक्ष श्री राहुल गांधी, संचार विभाग के महासचिव श्री जयराम रमेश जी, मीडिया और प्रचार विभाग के अध्यक्ष श्री पवन खेड़ा जी, और इस आयोजन में शामिल सभी वक्ताओं का धन्यवाद करता हूं।

यह कार्यशाला केवल एक कार्यक्रम नहीं है, यह हमारे… pic.twitter.com/QvE4KSNLBv

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) May 23, 2025

"My best wishes to all of you for this historic effort. Let us together build an India where the identity, dignity and rights of every citizen are equally respected," he stressed.

"This workshop is not just a program, it is a continuation of our thoughts and struggle. Today, when the country is talking about caste justice, it is the responsibility of the Congress party to give direction to this discussion, take it from slogan to policy, and make 'Jitna Aabadi Utna Haq' not just a slogan but a national resolution," the Congress chief also said.

He said the issue of caste census is not new and the Congress has constantly raised it, in our manifestos, in Parliament, on the streets, and on every platform where social justice should be talked about.

He said he himself had written a letter to the Prime Minister in April 2023 reiterating the demand that caste census should be started immediately. In that letter, he said he had clearly said that "until we have the correct data, no government can claim that it is providing justice to everyone".

"Today we have to ask, what is the participation of OBC, Dalit and Adivasi communities in the power structures of the country? Are they represented in proportion to their population in the media, bureaucracy, judiciary, corporate sector and higher education institutions? If not, what is the reason for this? And what is the solution? "The solution is to bring out the truth, make the data public, and then rebuild policies. This is why we consider caste census not just a statistical exercise but a moral obligation of Indian democracy," he said.

Kharge also said the party also has to clearly demand that Article 15 (5) of the Constitution be implemented immediately, so that OBC, Dalit and Adivasi students get reservation in private educational institutions.

Today, when a large part of education is concentrated in the private sector, denying these communities that access is a form of exploitation, he noted, adding that the Congress believes that no society can be equal without equal opportunity in education.

"We must also ensure that the 50 per cent reservation limit is now reconsidered in the light of new data. When social realities have changed and data is presenting a new picture, our policies must also change accordingly. The current limit of reservation should be seen with a balance of both data and justice, so that OBC, Dalit and tribal communities can get their real rights," he also asserted.

He said the caste survey conducted in Telangana presented a model in which society, experts and the government all participated.

"We want the central government to also adopt a similar public-oriented and transparent model. We are ready to cooperate in this process," Kharge noted.

The central government has already announced that it will conduct the caste enumeration as party of the next census exercise, coming ahead of the Bihar assembly elections slated later this year, where caste is a dominant issue.