Prateek Tanmay
3 min readLucknowJun 26, 2026 04:58 AM IST
Stepping up its social justice campaign ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the Congress on Thursday used the birth anniversary of Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj to reiterate Rahul Gandhi’s “Jitni Abadi, Utna Haq” plank, while attacking the BJP over caste census, reservation and alleged concentration of economic power.
At a programme organised by the party’s OBC and SC departments in Lucknow, Congress leaders projected Shahu Maharaj—a pioneer of reservation policies — as the ideological basis for the party’s demand for proportionate representation based on population.
Party’s OBC Department national chairman Anil Jaihind said the party under Mallikarjun Kharge (president), Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was carrying forward Shahu Maharaj’s legacy by demanding representation for all sections in proportion to their population. He said the campaign was aimed at ensuring justice, education and participation for deprived communities.
State party president Ajay Rai attacked the BJP and the RSS, alleging that public anger was growing over the controversy surrounding offerings at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The issue would have political consequences in the 2027 Assembly elections, he claimed.
Other leaders also targeted the BJP over the caste census and reservation. Party MLA Virendra Chaudhary demanded that the caste census be completed on time and that reservation and representation in jobs and institutions be aligned with population share.
SC Department national chairman Rajendra Pal Gautam accused the BJP government of using institutions to weaken Dalits and other marginalised communities, while Barabanki MP Tanuj Punia described Rahul Gandhi as a leader capable of strengthening the Constitution and ensuring justice for backward, Dalit and deprived sections.
Meanwhile, Sitapur MP Rakesh Rathore accused OBC leaders aligned with the BJP of compromising the interests of their communities, while former MP Ravi Verma highlighted Shahu Maharaj’s contribution to social justice and reservation.
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State OBC Department chief Manoj Yadav announced that the Congress would organise seminars and padyatras across Uttar Pradesh over the next month to take its “Bahujan Vichar” outreach campaign to every district, signalling an intensified mobilisation among OBC, Dalit and other marginalised communities as the party prepares for the 2027 Assembly polls.
AICC secretary Jitendra Baghel and Rajya Sabha MP frpm Haryana Karamveer Singh Boudh also attended the event in Lucknow.
