'Remove 50% cap on reservation': Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge makes three suggestions to PM Modi on caste census

NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday made three suggestions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the recently announced nationwide caste enumeration, which would be included the next national census.In a letter, excerpts of which he shared on X, Kharge gave the following suggestions: a questionnaire based on the "Telangana model", a constitutional amendment to remove the "forcibly imposed" 50 per cent reservation cap regardless of the caste survey results, and "immediate implementation" of Article 15(5) for reservations to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes in private educational institutes.A caste survey was conducted by Congress-ruled Telangana, and the results were announced in February. Since the government's announcement of caste census, the grand old party has been demanding that "Telangana model" be adopted for the pan-India exercise.Meanwhile, Kharge also called on the prime minister to have a dialogue with all political parties soon on the caste census issue.The Congress chief further underscored that the caste census should not be considered "divisive" as it "serves as a means to give rights to the backward, deprived and marginalized people.""Our great nation and our big-hearted people have always stood united in adverse circumstances. Recently, we all showed solidarity after the cowardly terrorist attack in Pahalgam," the letter quoted him as saying.Caste census should be conducted in the "comprehensive manner" suggested by the Congress as this would ensure "social and economic justice and equality of status and opportunity," it added.