Kharge flags Odisha anganwadi boycott, calls caste discrimination ‘shameful’

Flagging a recent incident from Kendrapara in Odisha, where parents refused to send their children to an anganwadi centre after an educated Dalit woman was appointed helper‑cum‑cook, forcing the centre to remain shut for nearly three months, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said such caste discrimination was “shameful” and affected dignity, career progress and personal safety.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Upper House, Mr. Kharge said, “In the 21st century, when we talk about social development, social reform, and the unity of Hindus, people of a particular community are refusing to let their children eat food cooked by a Dalit woman who is a helper‑cum‑cook in an anganwadi centre in Odisha. That anganwadi centre has been boycotted for the last three months.”

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He said the anganwadi system formed the foundation of a child’s physical and cognitive development. “But if there is such racial [caste] discrimination, it will naturally affect children’s growth,” the Congress leader said, adding that such incidents directly affected the right to education under Article 21A of the Constitution.

Mr. Kharge said caste discrimination at workplaces was being reported from different parts of the country. “Had investigations been done timely, future incidents would have been averted,” he said.

Citing examples from other States, he recalled an incident in Madhya Pradesh a few years ago in which a man urinated on an Adivasi person. Last year in Gujarat, he said, a government Dalit officer died by suicide due to caste discrimination.

“These incidents show caste discrimination is not confined to social and political life but is prevalent at workplaces also. This affects the dignity, career progress and personal safety of people,” he said.

Mr. Kharge added that caste discrimination against any officer was a violation of Articles 14, 15 and 17 of the Constitution, and urged the government to take the matter seriously and ensure timely investigation into such cases.