By A Staff Reporter
Bhubaneswar: BJP MP Sambit Patra has launched a sharp critique of the Congress party’s approach to the caste census, accusing it of using the issue for vote bank politics and appeasement, while sidelining the genuine rights of marginalized communities like SCs, STs, and OBCs.
Speaking at a press briefing in Bhubaneswar, Patra said, “You must have seen the level of politics Rahul Gandhi is playing in the name of caste census. The ₹165 crore spent from the state exchequer on a caste census has not been thrown in the dustbin, and now Siddaramaiah is saying that a new caste census will be conducted.”
He pointed out the Karnataka government's refusal to release the data from its earlier caste survey, calling it a deliberate attempt to manipulate narratives. “From the housing scheme to the caste census, the backbone is appeasement everywhere. That is why the Karnataka government has not yet been able to release the caste census it conducted,” Patra added.
He argued that in the process of vote-bank politics, the true beneficiaries of affirmative action — SCs, STs, and OBCs — are being sidelined. “If anyone's rights are being violated, then it is the rights of these communities,” he asserted.