TNI Bureau: Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge raised concerns over caste-based discrimination at workplaces, citing a recent incident in Odisha where children were reportedly prevented from eating food cooked by a Dalit anganwadi worker.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Upper House, Kharge said that despite discussions on social reform, development and unity, such practices continue. He said the anganwadi centre in Odisha had reportedly been boycotted for the past three months because a Dalit woman was working as a helper-cum-cook.

Kharge stressed that anganwadi centres form the foundation of children’s physical and cognitive development and said such discrimination would adversely affect their growth. He added that such actions undermine the right to education guaranteed under Article 21A of the Constitution.

The Leader of Opposition said reports of caste discrimination at workplaces were emerging from different parts of the country and that timely investigations could help prevent future incidents. He referred to past cases, including an incident in Madhya Pradesh where a man urinated on an Adivasi individual and a case in Gujarat last year in which a Dalit government officer allegedly died by suicide due to caste discrimination.

“These incidents show that caste discrimination is not confined to social and political life but is prevalent at workplaces as well. This affects dignity, career progress and personal safety,” Kharge said.

He asserted that caste-based discrimination violates Articles 14, 15 and 17 of the Constitution and urged the government to take such matters seriously and ensure prompt investigation and action.