<p>After the Karnataka elections where it unveiled its ‘Jitna Abadi, Utna Haq’ agenda, Congress appears to be making social justice the “central pillar” for its 2024 campaign with a pitch for removal of the 50% quota cap that could lead to a proportional reservation along with Caste Census.</p>.<p>Congress sources said it is the “perfect antidote” to BJP's “fading Hindutva” especially when the gap between the dominant and backward communities is “widening”. This would be a point of discussion at the Opposition meetings starting from June 23, they said.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/national-politics/kejirwal-mounts-pressure-on-congress-to-clear-its-stand-on-ordinance-row-ahead-of-patna-meet-1229527.html" target="_blank">Kejirwal mounts pressure on Congress to clear its stand on ordinance row ahead of Patna meet</a></strong></p>.<p>A firm indication for the poll pitch came as Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot too joined the chorus for Caste Census last week, taking a cue from the success Congress achieved in Karnataka after its top Rahul Gandhi unveiled the campaign with Caste Census at its core and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge following it up with a letter to the Prime Minister.</p>.<p>Party leaders are working out the contours of the poll plank and reaching out to other Opposition parties for a coordinated campaign on social justice.</p>.<p>Earlier in March this year, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK supremo MK Stalin hosted Opposition parties for a social justice meet where the demand for Caste Census was supported by them.</p>.<p>The Congress followed it up with an elaborate plan during the Karnataka election. It was in Karnataka’s Kolar where Rahul came up with the 'Jitna Abadi, Utna Haq' (representation as per population) slogan.</p>.<p>With crucial Assembly elections slated for year-end, sources said, the party units in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana are fine-tuning their strategy and the party's central leadership is all set to increase the decibel levels on the demand for removing the 50% cap on reservations to enable more OBCs get the benefit of quota regime.</p>.<p>It also wants the reservation for Dalits and tribals to be increased to match their population. However, the party is not planning to make their state governments announce state based Caste Census after Patna High Court nixed Bihar government's plans owing to time constraints in conducting it.</p>.<p>In its Karnataka manifesto, Congress has promised to increase the quota ceiling from 50%, which was set by Supreme Court in the Indira Sawhney case, to 75%, as the party intends to move from representative quota regime to proportional one. Incidentally, the 50% ceiling has effectively been breached with the introduction of a 10% reservation for the economically backward section, which was cleared by the apex court.</p>.<p>The focus of the Congress and the other Opposition on OBCs comes as the BJP had successfully wooed the communities in the past two general elections.</p>.<p>Interestingly, the Congress has also moved to the other end of the pole compared to its stand in the early 1990s when its leaders and supporters were part of the anti-Mandal agitation. A senior leader said it is a return to the 'Mandal-Kamandal' politics of the 1990s when the BJP used Hindutva politics to counter the pro-quota parties, which had based their politics on caste and social justice.</p>
<p>After the Karnataka elections where it unveiled its ‘Jitna Abadi, Utna Haq’ agenda, Congress appears to be making social justice the “central pillar” for its 2024 campaign with a pitch for removal of the 50% quota cap that could lead to a proportional reservation along with Caste Census.</p>.<p>Congress sources said it is the “perfect antidote” to BJP's “fading Hindutva” especially when the gap between the dominant and backward communities is “widening”. This would be a point of discussion at the Opposition meetings starting from June 23, they said.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/national-politics/kejirwal-mounts-pressure-on-congress-to-clear-its-stand-on-ordinance-row-ahead-of-patna-meet-1229527.html" target="_blank">Kejirwal mounts pressure on Congress to clear its stand on ordinance row ahead of Patna meet</a></strong></p>.<p>A firm indication for the poll pitch came as Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot too joined the chorus for Caste Census last week, taking a cue from the success Congress achieved in Karnataka after its top Rahul Gandhi unveiled the campaign with Caste Census at its core and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge following it up with a letter to the Prime Minister.</p>.<p>Party leaders are working out the contours of the poll plank and reaching out to other Opposition parties for a coordinated campaign on social justice.</p>.<p>Earlier in March this year, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK supremo MK Stalin hosted Opposition parties for a social justice meet where the demand for Caste Census was supported by them.</p>.<p>The Congress followed it up with an elaborate plan during the Karnataka election. It was in Karnataka’s Kolar where Rahul came up with the 'Jitna Abadi, Utna Haq' (representation as per population) slogan.</p>.<p>With crucial Assembly elections slated for year-end, sources said, the party units in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana are fine-tuning their strategy and the party's central leadership is all set to increase the decibel levels on the demand for removing the 50% cap on reservations to enable more OBCs get the benefit of quota regime.</p>.<p>It also wants the reservation for Dalits and tribals to be increased to match their population. However, the party is not planning to make their state governments announce state based Caste Census after Patna High Court nixed Bihar government's plans owing to time constraints in conducting it.</p>.<p>In its Karnataka manifesto, Congress has promised to increase the quota ceiling from 50%, which was set by Supreme Court in the Indira Sawhney case, to 75%, as the party intends to move from representative quota regime to proportional one. Incidentally, the 50% ceiling has effectively been breached with the introduction of a 10% reservation for the economically backward section, which was cleared by the apex court.</p>.<p>The focus of the Congress and the other Opposition on OBCs comes as the BJP had successfully wooed the communities in the past two general elections.</p>.<p>Interestingly, the Congress has also moved to the other end of the pole compared to its stand in the early 1990s when its leaders and supporters were part of the anti-Mandal agitation. A senior leader said it is a return to the 'Mandal-Kamandal' politics of the 1990s when the BJP used Hindutva politics to counter the pro-quota parties, which had based their politics on caste and social justice.</p>