Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Friday slammed the Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP), likening their positions on caste and women’s reservation to that of a “chameleon”, amid the ongoing debate on delimitation and the implementation of the women’s reservation law.
Her remarks come against the backdrop of discussions on the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023 and its proposed linkage with delimitation based on the 2011 Census.
In a post on X, Mayawati alleged that the Congress had historically failed to safeguard the interests of Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
“In the matter of constitutional/legal rights, etc., of the country's SC, ST, and OBC communities, the Congress, which changes its colour like a chameleon, is the same party that, now talking about these categories in women's reservation, never took any initiative during its central government to fulfill their reservation quotas in any sector."
"Nor did it implement the 27 per cent reservation for the OBC community in government jobs and education as per the Mandal Commission report, which was eventually implemented in the government of former Prime Minister VP Singh only through the tireless efforts of the BSP, as is well known,” she said.
She also targeted the SP, accusing it of inconsistency on caste-related policies during its tenure in Uttar Pradesh.
“Similarly, in UP, to provide OBC benefits to backward Muslims, the SP government had shelved the report of the Backward Classes Commission that came in July 1994 and did not implement it, which was then immediately implemented by the first BSP government here on June 3, 1995, and now the same SP, changing its color for its political interests, is talking about giving separate reservation to their women.
Thus, like in other cases, in this matter too, the SP adopts a different stance when not in power, but when in government, it adopts a different narrow, casteist and discriminatory attitude. Therefore, all these communities must always remain cautious of such deceptive and double-faced parties; only then can something better become possible,” she added.
On the question of implementing women’s reservation on the basis of the 2011 Census, Mayawati said that any party in power would likely take a similar course.
“As for the question of delimitation based on the previous (2011) census for women's reservation, the only thing to say about this is that if it has to be implemented quickly for whatever reasons, then it has to be done on the basis of this same census, and if the Congress party were in power at the center currently, this party too would have taken the same step as the BJP.
In sum, the purport of saying this is that no party in the country has been serious about the real interests, welfare, and shaping the future, etc., of the SC, ST, OBC, and Muslim communities in any matter,” she said.
She also cautioned OBC communities against being influenced by political inducements, urging them to prioritise long-term empowerment and self-reliance.
“Therefore, in the matter of women's reservation, whatever these categories are getting now, they should accept it for the time being, and in this matter, when a better time comes ahead, proper attention will be paid to their interests--meaning, they should not fall for anyone's inducements because they themselves have to stand on their own feet and make their society self-reliant and strong. This is the advice,” the post read.
(With inputs from ANI)
