Akhilesh Yadav plays caste-based politics in run up to UP polls, presses to get 17 OBCs on the SC list

Uttar Pradesh’s Assembly elections are just around the corner and in order to become voters’ favourite candidates, political parties have already started doing everything they can do. In a bid to woo voters, Akhilesh Yadav-led UP Government, yet again played the caste card, and gave a nod to include 17 Other Backward Castes in the Scheduled Castes (SC) list.

The cabinet meeting, presided by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, cleared the proposal in this regard.

As per the officials, the proposal that is aimed at wooing the OBCs in the coming elections, will now be sent to the Centre for clearance.

There are 17 sub-castes which the government wants included in the SC category are Kahar, Kashyap, Kewat, Nishad, Bind, Bhar, Prajapati, Rajbhar, Batham, Gaur, Tura, Majhi, Mallah, Kumhar, Dheemar and Machua.

Before this, in March 2013, the Uttar Pradesh Assembly had passed a resolution asking the Centre to include 17 castes of the state into the list of Scheduled Castes (SC) category.

In the resolution presented by Social Welfare Minister Avdhesh Prasad and passed by the voice vote in the House, it was stated that in a detailed study by UP SC/ST Research and Training Institute, these 17 castes have been found "deserving" to be included in the list of Scheduled Castes (SC).

The Mulayam Singh Yadav government too had passed the resolution in the state Cabinet in February 2004 and had sent recommendation to the Centre for inclusion of these castes in SC list in December 2004.

Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh are likely to be held early next year.