Lucknow, April 9 The OBC department of the AICC will organize a program to mark the 200th birth anniversary of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule in Lucknow on April 11, party leaders said on Thursday.
Senior Congress leaders and renowned social justice activists are expected to attend the program. Among those likely to be present are former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, Telangana Transport and Backward Classes Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, and others.
Anil Jaihind, national president of the OBC wing, All India Congress Committee (AICC), said the event will be held at the Mars Auditorium in Indira Gandhi Pratishthan, Gomti Nagar, as part of the nationwide celebrations of Phule's bicentenary.
He said Phule spearheaded a social revolution and worked towards the emancipation of OBC, SC, and ST communities. He added that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is carrying forward the "unfinished agenda of social justice".
Jaihind demanded that the central government, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, conduct a scientific caste census covering not only population figures but also socio-economic, educational, and representation data. According to a statement released here.
He further alleged that the proposed women's reservation bill lacks provisions for OBC women and warned that if constitutional rights are not ensured, a nationwide satyagraha agitation would be launched.
Jaihind added that former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had strengthened social justice by implementing OBC reservation in Panchayati Raj institutions, as he criticised the current government's policies for being "against OBC interests".
