Congress pledges to step up affirmative action if voted to power
New Delhi: India’s main opposition Congress party has pledged to lift a cap on affirmative action for marginalized castes if it wins power, although the BJP-led Modi government is expected to sweep back to office in elections starting this month.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the Congress, which has ruled India for more than 50 years with centre-left policies, has struggled in the past decade to compete with Modi’s Hindu fanatic BJP that counts the country’s Hindu majority as its main vote base.
The seven-phase election starts on April 19, with vote counting on June 4. More help for so-called backward castes and the poor, irrespective of caste, were among Congress pledges in its election manifesto.
“Congress has been the most vocal and active champion of the progress of the backward and oppressed classes and castes over the last seven decades,” said the manifesto released by party president Mallikarjun Kharge, who himself is from one of India’s most backward castes. “However, caste discrimination is still a reality.”
Kharge listed out some of the key pledges with only a feeble response from party workers at a press conference, leading him to comment: “No claps, nothing!” Many analysts say morale is low in Congress because of the BJP’s dominance of the country’s politics.
