The Congress Working Committee meeting was held in Hyderabad
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) has endorsed party MP Rahul Gandhi's suggestion of increasing the quota limit for reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes, sources said.
The CWC has asked for data to be released on the caste-based census conducted by the United Progressive Alliance government, and demanded for a fresh census.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and head of the Janata Dal (United), which is part of the newly formed Opposition bloc INDIA, has already done a caste-based survey in the state. The decision of the caste survey was taken by the Bihar cabinet in June last year. Mr Kumar has maintained that the purpose of the exercise was to get a clear estimate of the financial situation of all communities and to aid in developmental work.
In a post on X, the Congress party today said the CWC meeting ended by expressing confidence that the party will receive a decisive mandate from the people of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana in the assembly elections.
"It also reaffirms the preparedness of the party organisation for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, which are due in April-May 2024. The Congress party is fully ready for the battle ahead. It is confident that the people of our country are wanting change. We will fulfil their expectations of law and order, freedom, social and economic justice, equality and equity," the Congress said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
The CWC met outside Delhi after several years, a move that was seen as an attempt to consolidate the support base in Telangana, where election is due.
The CWC has 39 regular members, 32 permanent invitees and 13 special invitees. These include 15 women and several new faces such as Shashi Tharoor, Sachin Pilot and Gaurav Gogoi.
BJP chief JP Nadda has said the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) only knew how to carry out scams. Home Minister Amit Shah yesterday slammed the INDIA coalition for alleged denigration of "Sanatana Dharma" and claimed the Congress-led coalition did away with the previous name "UPA" because it had been associated with "scams involving Rs 12 lakh crore".