The Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Monday unanimously passed a resolution to conduct a nationwide caste census in all Congress-ruled states, and at the Centre, if voted to power in 2024.
“We have unanimously decided that for India’s future a caste census is quintessential, and we (CWC) have decided to do it and we promise that it will be done. But we will not stop at that, we will also conduct an economic survey in the country. What we have not done before, we will ensure it is done this time and to ensure justice to all, caste census becomes a necessity,” said CWC member and former president Rahul Gandhi.
Addressing a press briefing after the high-level CWC meeting in Delhi, Gandhi said, “Congress party had decided to not just support the idea of caste census but force the BJP to carry out of the census or make them get out of the way so that we can carry it out. Most of the parties in the India alliance are unanimous that the caste census should be implemented. There might be a few who have a slightly different position and that is fine we are quite flexible, but I am confident that the vast majority of the India alliance will support the caste census.”
Also Read: Kharge tells extended CWC not to praise PM unnecessarily
{{/usCountry}}Also Read: Kharge tells extended CWC not to praise PM unnecessarily
{{/usCountry}}Launching a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress leader claimed that the former was not capable of conducting the caste census.
“The PM is incapable of doing the caste census. We have four CM’s and out of that three are OBC leaders. BJP has 10 CMs and among them 1 is an OBC minister. We have to ask PM Modi what has he done for the OBC community? Modi never spoke a word on this, and this is so because it is acceptable for them. PM’s only work is to distract the OBC community and divert their attention”, he said.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had chaired the CWC meeting today and urged party leaders to work in coordination, discipline and unity to ensure the party’s victory in the elections while affirming that if the Congress came to power in 2024, it will immediately implement the women reservation bill.
Taking to his official account in ‘X’, Kharge said social justice, public welfare and progressive development were the party’s guarantees in the upcoming polls in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram.
Five states -- Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana -- will vote between November 7 and November 30 and the counting of votes will be held on December 3.
Echoing similar sentiments to that of Gandhi, Kharge also raised the demand for conducting a nationwide caste census to ensure social justice and rights to the SCs, STs and OBCs in accordance with their population.
The chief ministers of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh, besides the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leaders in the five poll-bound states, attended the CWC meeting.