Opposition leaders demand nationwide caste census at social justice meeting
chennai, April 3
Several opposition leaders gathered at a social justice meeting organized by Tamil Nadu CM, ruling DMK chief MK Stalin on Monday and emphasized the need for a nationwide enumeration of all castes. This comes ahead of next year’s general elections, and the opposition leaders have been discussing ways to unite against the ruling BJP party. The DMK claimed that the meeting was not politically motivated but aimed to advance the social justice movement.
During the meeting, Trinamool Congress’s Derek O’Brien stated that this was a political platform and urged Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to join such forums. Patnaik, in turn, urged Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy to do the same.
Other opposition parties that joined the meeting include Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party, Telangana’s Bharat Rashtra Samithi, and Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party. Chief Ministers Ashok Gehlot, Hemant Soren, former Chief Ministers Farooq Abdullah, Akhilesh Yadav, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, Trinamool Derek O’Brien, and Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D Raja were also present.
This is the first such attempt at opposition unity since Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from Parliament. Recently, DMK Chief Minister MK Stalin held a rally along with several opposition leaders on the occasion of his 70th birthday. The opposition leaders have been urging for more collaboration to defeat the ruling BJP party in the upcoming elections.
