'Caste Census Decision Welcome, Must Be Implemented Without Delay': Maharashtra Congress Chief Harshwardhan Sapkal

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Apr 30: Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal on Wednesday welcomed the Centre's decision to include caste enumeration in the forthcoming Census exercise, noting that the move should not remain a campaign issue and implemented immediately.

He demanded that the Centre consider removing the 50 per cent cap on reservations. "If the Central government has decided to conduct a caste-wise census, it is a welcome move. But it should not just be used for election campaigning, it must be implemented without delay.

"The government should also consider removing the 50 per cent cap on reservations," Sapkal told Marathi news channel ABP Majha. He sarcastically suggested that the post of Sarsanghchalak (RSS Chief) be given to someone from the OBC community.

He added that the demand for a caste-wise census is valid, especially as various communities across the country are demanding reservation. "Had this decision not been taken, it could have led to unrest in society".

Addressing a press conference in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Sapkal criticised the Devendra Fadnavis-led government, which recently completed 100 days in office.

Taking a swipe at the government over the rising crime graph, he alleged that terms like "Aaka" (master), "Khokya", and "Koyta (machete) gang" have now become associated with the state under its current administration.

Sapkal slammed the government’s handling of the crop insurance scheme.

"The crop insurance scheme was introduced in Maharashtra a long time ago, and though there are still several shortcomings, the state government is implementing a new scheme based on flawed sampling techniques,” he alleged.

The state government on Tuesday approved the scrapping of the Re 1 crop insurance scheme and announced a new one under which farmers will have to pay a premium ranging from 1.5 to 2 per cent of the insured amount.

"The government, which once spoke about farmer welfare, is now acting against farmers’ interests. This decision must be revoked, and those responsible for irregularities in the previous scheme should be punished,” the Congress leader said.

On the state government’s 100-day milestone, Sapkal said the Swargate (bus rape) like incidents reflect the worsening law and order situation. He accused the government of deceiving women with false promises of hiking their monthly stipend under the ‘Ladki Bahin’ scheme to Rs 2,100.

"There’s an evident ego clash among the ruling coalition partners — this is a 'triple-engine gang' government, and such chaos will continue as long as they remain in power,” he added.

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