In Chhattisgarh, Rahul promises caste census if INDIA wins, accuses BJP of ignoring OBCs
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has promised to conduct a caste census if his party comes to power in next year's general elections in India.
The Congress will conduct a caste census on priority if it is voted to power in next year’s general elections, senior leader Rahul Gandhi said on Monday as he accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of ignoring backward communities
Gandhi was addressing a gathering during the launch of the Mukhyamantri Gramin Awas Nyay Yojana in Bilaspur district of poll-bound Chhattisgarh when he made the remarks. The scheme seeks to benefit homeless families by providing them money for construction of houses.
“The Congress had conducted a caste census that has the record of the population of every caste in the country. The Union government has this report but Modi ji doesn’t want to reveal it,” Gandhi said, referring to the 2011 Socio Economic Caste Census whose caste data was held back due to apparent irregularities.
“Caste census has to be conducted if we want to give participation to Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Dalits, tribals and women. If Modi ji does not conduct a caste census, then when we are elected to power, our first step will be to conduct a caste census to ensure OBC participation,” he added.
The Congress is seeking to retain power in Chhattisgarh in elections to be held towards the end of the year.
In his 18-minute speech, the Congress leader said that the government is run by secretaries and cabinet secretaries, and not MPs and MLAs, and alleged that only three of the 90 secretaries in various Union government ministries belong to OBC groups – a charge he first made in Parliament last week during the debate on the women’s reservation bill.
“The caste census will be an x-ray of India. With it, we will be able to find how many people belong to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Dalit, and general categories,” he added.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dismissed Gandhi’s claims, with Union minister Anurag Thakur suggesting that the Congress leader get good advisers to understand the nuances of governance.
At the event in Bilaspur, Gandhi waved a remote control at the crowd and said the poor and needy were benefited when the Congress presses it, while “Adani gets ports, airports and railway contracts” when the ruling BJP does the same.
“There are two remote controls. When we press it, farmers receive money into their accounts through Nyay Scheme and English medium schools get opened (in Chhattisgarh). But when BJP presses a remote, the public sector gets privatised and jal-jungle-zameen (water, forests and land) goes to Adani,” he said.
Thakur dismissed Gandhi’s claims, saying OBCs were well represented in the government.
“After being in politics all these years, and 10 years of the Congress being in government, Rahul Gandhi is yet to grasp how the government functions or takes decisions,” the information and broadcasting minister told reporters in Delhi. “I don’t know who advises him (Gandhi), at least seek good advice,” he added.
The Congress leader also launched 414 development and construction projects worth ₹669.69 crore for Bilaspur district. Later in the day, Gandhi travelled by a train from Bilaspur district to state capital Raipur and interacted with passengers on board. He boarded a sleeper class coach of the Bilaspur-Itwari Intercity train along with chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, Congress state in-charge Kumari Selja and state unit president Dipak Baij, among others.
At Raipur railway station, Gandhi was welcomed by a large number of Congress workers and leaders, including party MLA Kuldip Juneja.
Bilaspur division comprises eight districts and 25 assembly seats. In the 2018 elections, the Congress secured 14 seats while BJP won seven, and regional parties such as the BSP and Janata Congress Chhattisgarhwon two seats, respectively.
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