Congress questions MP minister's caste certificate

Bhopal, March 25 (IANS) The Congress party has accused Minister of State for Urban Administration and Development in Madhya Pradesh, Pratima Bagri, of using a fraudulent caste certificate to claim Scheduled Caste (SC) status and secure her ministerial position.

Pradeep Ahirwar, the President of Scheduled Caste wing of Congress in Madhya Pradesh, alleged that Bagri belongs to the Rajput-Thakur community -- a general category, not the SC category, and demanded she should resign. He warned that if a fair investigation is not conducted, the party will take the issue to the High Court.

While speaking to IANS, Pratima Bagri, who is Minister of Urban Administration (state minister), defended herself, stating her family's long political history and questioning why her caste certificate is being challenged now all of a sudden.

She affirmed the authenticity of her documents and expressed her openness to any investigation, but also threatened legal action if tangible evidence against her is not presented. Bagri represents the Raigaon Assembly seat of Satna district and defeated Kalpana Verma of the Indian National Congress in the 2023 elections.

Ahirwar claimed that the Bagri’s caste in regions like Bundelkhand, Mahakaushal, and Vindhya has historically been classified as Rajput-Thakur, not SC. He cited government and legal rulings from 2003 and 2007, which explicitly excluded the Bagri caste from SC status. Despite this, Ahirwar alleged that Bagri and her family used fabricated caste certificates to benefit from reservations in elections and government posts, actions he described as violations of constitutional and social justice principles.

Ahirwar further argued that individuals from the Bagri caste are typically wealthy farmers and should not qualify for SC benefits. Official directives have also barred the issuance of SC certificates to the Rajput Bagri community in certain regions, yet Bagri allegedly managed to bypass these regulations. To which the minister pointed out, in 2008, Pushpendra Singh Bagri contested from the same seat on a Congress ticket, Gaya Prasad Bagri contested elections in 2013 on a Congress ticket, and our most beloved Jugal Kishore Bagri also contested elections several times.

Besides, she said, Shivdayal Bagri contested the 2018 elections on a Congress ticket from the Gunnaor seat in Panna. Why are they questioning my certificate only now? Did all these candidates use fake certificates, the minister asked.

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