The Opposition in Uttar Pradesh on Monday questioned a directive issued by the state government that barred caste-based political rallies and public display of caste-based signage, describing the decision as dangerous and an “eyewash” to silence voices from backward communities.

In a directive issued on Sunday, the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state said that rallies organised on caste lines for political purposes promote social conflict, threaten public order and undermine constitutional values.

The order, issued by officiating Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar to district magistrates, police chiefs and other officials, directed authorities to act against those inciting divisions through “caste-based displays and protests”.

The directive came five days after an Allahabad High Court order prohibited the declaration of caste in police documents and other records. The court had also taken exception to the broader practice of caste glorification on vehicles and on social media.

Referring to the directive, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday asked “what will be done to remove the caste discrimination that has been ingrained in our minds for 5,000 years?”

Yadav further asked what would be done to eradicate caste discrimination arising from displays on clothing, costumes and symbols.

“And what will be done to end the mentality of caste discrimination that involves asking about ‘caste’ before someone’s name upon meeting them?” he added. “And what measures will be taken to put an end to the thinking of caste discrimination that involves making someone clean their house?”

The former chief minister also asked what would be done to end “caste-based conspiracies” to defame someone by making false and defamatory allegations.

Samajwadi Party Spokesperson Rajkumar Bhati asked if the Uttar Pradesh government was “scared” of the political awareness of the Gurjar community.

In a social media post, Bhati said that the BJP itself had been organising caste rallies and conferences before the directive was issued on Sunday. The Hindutva party had held meetings with several caste groups for a month ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he added.

“The BJP had also put up boards in Lucknow showcasing how many ministers from each caste their government had appointed,” the Samajwadi Party leader said.

Bhati said that Chief Minister Adityanath had also held a roadshow during the Ghaziabad Assembly bye-elections where “ten welcome stages [were] set up for different castes, each with the names of the respective castes written on them”.

“Today, when a campaign is underway to raise political awareness among the Gurjar community and we have announced a massive Gurjar rally, how did the government suddenly remember that rallies should not be held in the name of castes?” he asked.

Udaiveer Singh, another leader from the Samajwadi Party, said that the bigger question was how the “BJP government will clear its caste-based mindset first”, The Indian Express reported.

Congress’ Uttar Pradesh chief Ajay Rai said that his party never holds caste-based rallies.

“In fact, the BJP promotes caste-based politics the most,” the newspaper quoted Rai as saying. “The RSS [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh] has caste-based representatives.”

The RSS is the parent organisation of the ruling BJP.

It remains to be seen how the order will be implemented and if it ends up “turning into another mechanism to harass the Opposition”, Rai added.

Congress leader Anil Yadav described the state government’s decision as dangerous and an “eyewash” to silence voices emerging from the Dalit community and other marginalised groups, The Hindu reported.

“Baba Saheb Ambedkar called for an equal society based on the concept of justice,” the newspaper quoted him as saying. “The point is that injustice, unfairness, bias and prejudice based on caste ended in Uttar Pradesh; the clear answer is no, those in power discriminate against downtrodden, Dalits, backwards and minorities based on identity through multiple ways, from fake encounters to bias in appointment.”

He added that the directive issued on Sunday would further embolden “the forces of injustice and ultimately target social community-based groups who fight against discrimination”.

The High Court has said in its order that recording or declaring caste without legal relevance amounts to identity profiling, reinforces prejudice and violates fundamental rights.

On Sunday, the state government issued its directive citing the High Court order.

The directive stated that police records such as arrest memos and station notice boards must not carry caste details, and the names of both parents should be recorded instead.

Authorities were told to work with the National Crime Records Bureau to remove caste columns from the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems portal, and to leave the fields blank until changes are made.

Exceptions can be made only when the law requires mentioning caste identities, such as crimes registered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act, the government directive said.

It also stated that vehicles carrying caste slogans or stickers are to be penalised under the Central Motor Vehicles Act.

Signboards glorifying caste or declaring areas as caste territories must be taken down.

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