Awhad accuses Centre for backtracking on caste census, cheating OBCs

NCP leader Jitendra Awhad accused the Central government of cheating the OBC community by backing out of its promise to conduct a caste-wise census, sparking potential protests.

NCP (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad on Friday accused the Central government of ''cheating'' the Other Backward Class (OBC) community by backing out of its promise to conduct a caste-wise census, which he claimed was originally made to corner votes before the Bihar assembly elections.

Speaking to reporters, Awhad asserted that the national census must include a detailed caste-wise enumeration of the Scheduled Tribe (ST), OBC, and Backward Class communities.

The community would rise in protest if their demands were ignored, he warned, and alleged that the BJP government was trying to trample upon the Constitution by manipulating constituencies under the guise of women's reservation.

Highlighting the controversial crackdown on internet content, the NCP(SP) chief spokesperson extended his open support to the Cockroach Janata Party - a satirical digital outfit founded by a Marathi youth, Abhijeet Dipke.

Awhad slammed the government for allegedly deleting the group's accounts across social media.

''When 94 per cent of its followers are Indian youth, branding them as Pakistani or Bangladeshi is unjust. If a Marathi youth is being threatened for expressing dissent, it will not be tolerated,'' he stated.

The NCP (SP) leader further claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is spreading fear by advising citizens to cut back on oil, fuel, and gold, contrasting this with former prime minister Manmohan Singh's steady leadership during the 2007 global recession.