All party meeting ahead of Budget 2023: YRS Congress demands caste-based eco census; Congress leaders skip
Union Budget 2023: Backward castes are more than half of the total population, and the census will help determine their economic status, said YSR Congress leader Vijaysai Reddy. The Andhra Pradesh ruling party has joined the likes of the JD(U) and RJD, both of which have called for a caste census.
The Yuvajana Shramika Rythu (YSR) Congress party demanded a nationwide caste-based economic census at an all-party meeting convened by the government ahead of the Union Budget session of Parliament on Monday, January 30, 2023.
The party said it is important to understand the economic status of backward castes who are 'lagging behind' on social and development indicators.
According to YSR Congress leader Vijaysai Reddy, backward castes are more than half of the total population, and the census will help determine their economic status. The Andhra Pradesh ruling party has joined the likes of the JD(U) and RJD, both of which have called for a caste census.
Bihar's grand alliance government has launched a state-wide caste census. According to Reddy, his party also demanded the women's quota bill to ensure their reservations in Parliament. The TRS, TMC, and BJD were among those who supported the demand.
The all-party meeting is underway ahead of Parliament's Budget Session 2023. The customary meeting was convened at the Parliament Annexe Building by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi. The meeting was attended by Deputy Leader of the House Rajnath Singh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, Leader of the House Piyush Goyal, MoS, Parliamentary Affairs, Arjuna, Ram Meghwal, and V Muraleedharan.
Top opposition leaders present in the meeting are DMK leader TR Balu, TMC leaders Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, TRS leaders K Keshava Rao and Nama Nageswara Rao, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, and Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi.
Meanwhile, Congress party leaders were absent at the all-party meeting. According to government sources, Mallikarjun Kharge and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury were both held up due to the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra, which concluded today, January 30, 2023, in Srinagar.
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