Nagpur/Mumbai: Dr. Adv. Anjali Salve, State General Secretary of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) and a prominent OBC leader, has urged the Maharashtra government to pass a resolution in the state legislature demanding a separate caste-based census for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and forward it to the Central Government.
In a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, Home Minister, Minister for OBC and Bahujan Welfare, former OBC ministers, and MLAs, Dr. Salve stated that since the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government is in power both at the Centre and in Maharashtra, the state government should take the initiative to ensure justice for OBC communities across the country by pressing the Centre to conduct an independent OBC census.
Dr. Salve recalled that when the Central Government announced the ‘Census 2021’ program in 2019, she had taken the lead in demanding the inclusion of a separate column for OBCs in the census questionnaire. To support this demand, she filed an intervention petition in the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court challenging the 2021 census format, and her legal battle is also continuing in the Supreme Court to ensure an independent count of OBC communities.
She further stated that the issue was raised at the parliamentary level and that she had submitted representations to several legislators urging them to adopt a resolution in the Maharashtra Legislature. As a result of these efforts, the Maharashtra Legislature passed a resolution in 2020 supporting the demand for an OBC census.
Dr. Salve also led the ‘Pati Lava’ protest movement, which called for a boycott of the census if it did not include a separate column for OBCs. The movement carried the message: “If there is no OBC column in the census, there will be no participation from OBCs.”
However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Census 2021 program was postponed. The Central Government has now announced the Census 2027 schedule, with the first phase expected to begin from April 1, 2026. Dr. Salve expressed concern that the questionnaire issued by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner under the Union Home Ministry once again does not include a separate category for OBCs.
Citing Articles 16(4) and 340 of the Constitution of India and the Census Act, 1948, Dr. Salve emphasized that a proper count of the OBC population is essential. She questioned how the government can frame policies and welfare schemes for OBC communities if it does not have accurate data on their population.
She also pointed out that issues regarding the number of OBCs had earlier arisen during local body elections, and accurate data is crucial for planning welfare schemes and allocating adequate financial resources for the community.
Given that the same political alliance governs both the state and the Centre, Dr. Salve demanded that the Maharashtra government pass a resolution seeking a separate OBC census and send it to the Central Government, ensuring justice and proper representation for OBC communities across Maharashtra and the country.
