In a bid to bring different Opposition parties on a common platform on social issues, the Rashtriya Lok Dal will hold a conference at the Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Sunday to mark the 35th death anniversary of former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh.
According to an official release, the conference will focus on the establishment of the Social Justice Commission, tasked with ensuring equal opportunities for disempowered communities, including in the private sector.
“Another important agenda of the conference is the demand for caste census,” RLD national spokesperson Sandeep Chaudhary said.
Mr. Chaudhary said the census should be undertaken immediately to enable targeted affirmative action to uplift the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and socially and economically backward classes.
Apart from RLD president Chaudhary Jayant Singh, the speakers at the conference include Meghalaya Governor Satya Pal Malik, who has been vocal against the ruling government on different issues, senior Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav, Mukhendu Shekhar Roy of the Trinamool Congress, K.C. Tyagi of the Janata Dal (United), Danish Ali of the Bahujan Samaj Party, Manoj Jha of the Rashtriya Janta Dal and Sanjay Singh of the Aam Aadmi Party.
On the political meaning of the conference, coming at a time when efforts for the revival of the Third Front are being carried out in different States, Mr Chaudhary said it was for the political observers to figure. “When hate is being pushed as a political agenda, it is an attempt to bring political rivals on a common social platform and talk about the real concerns of society,” Mr. Chaudhary said, adding that caste census was a common demand of the Opposition.
On the absence of Congress leaders in the itinerary, Mr. Chaudhary said the party was “not anti-Congress and one of the leaders from Haryana might make it to the conference”.
