Amid flutter over post cautioning against "Jitni abadi utna haq", Singhvi says didn’t depart from Congress line
Oct 03, 2023
New Delhi [India], October 3 : After creating a flutter with his post cautioning people against the idea of "Jitni abadi utna haq" (rights on the basis of population), Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Tuesday claimed that he did not depart from his party's position on population-based rights.
In an earlier post on social media platform X, which has since been deleted, Singhvi said the idea of ‘the greater the population, the greater the rights’ will eventually push the country towards ‘majoritarianism’.
Clarifying the post, the Congress leader told ANI on Tuesday that his party has always stood for "Jitni abadi utna haq" and will continue to do so.
"I didn't take a different stand. We have supported it (Jitni abadi utna haq) and will continue to support it. All court orders have uniformly stated that a decision has to be taken on the basis of facts. How can a decision be arrived at without facts? So, for facts, it is essential for a (national) caste census to take place," Singhvi told ANI on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, Singhvi seemed to depart from his party leader Rahul Gandhi's assertion of "jitni aabadi, utna haq", saying one has to first understand the consequences of it before the idea could be implemented in earnest.
Taking to X, Singhvi emphasised that those batting for rights on the basis of population should understand its consequences as it will lead to 'majoritarianism'.
“Equality of opportunity is never the same as equality of outcomes. People endorsing ‘jitni abadi utna haq’ have to first completely understand the consequences of it. It will eventually culminate into majoritarianism,” Singhvi posted on X.
However, he later deleted the post.
His remarks came after the Bihar government released the much-awaited caste-based survey on Monday.
Rahul endorsed the slogan of 'Jitni abadi utna Haq' saying that that this was a pledge of the Congress.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh called Singhvi’s remark a reflection of the latter's own personal view, not of the party.
https://twitter.com/Jairam_Ramesh/status/1709175986800222614
“Dr. Singhvi's tweet may be a reflection of his own personal view but in no way does it reflect the position of the Indian National Congress — the essence of which is contained both in the Raipur Declaration on 26th February 2023 and in the CWC Resolution of September 18th, 2023,” Ramesh posted on X.
After the Bihar government released the data from its caste-based survey, Rahul once again gave the call for population-based rights.
"The caste census of Bihar has revealed that OBC SC ST are 84% there. Out of 90 secretaries of the Central Government, only 3 are OBC, who handle only 5% of India's budget! Therefore, it is important to know the caste statistics of India. 'Jitni Abadi Utna Haq' – this is our pledge," Rahul posted on 'X' on Monday.
The caste survey data, which could have ramifications for the Lok Sabha polls next year, showed that Other Backward Caste (OBC) and Extremely Backward Class (EBC) together account for 63 per cent of the state’s population.
