Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls himself an OBC (other backward class) leader but shies away from holding a caste survey to ensure the availability of the government’s socio-economic benefits to them, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Wednesday.
Addressing a rally in Ambikapur constituency of poll-bound Chhattisgarh, Gandhi also alleged the BJP calls the tribals ‘vanvasi’ instead of ‘adivasi’ as it does not want them to “dream big”.
Voting in Chattisgarh is being held in two phases. While the first phase was held on Tuesday, the second phase will be conducted on November 17. The results will be announced on December 3.
“… Modi ji calls himself an OBC leader in every speech and also boasts about OBC welfare. When we demanded a caste census, he said there is only one caste, that is the ‘poor’. So why do you call yourself an OBC ? If there is only one caste, then who are those who are rich,” the Congress leader told the crowd.
He promised to hold a caste survey, akin to the one held in Bihar, the details of which were shared by the Nitish Kumar government on Tuesday, if the Congress is voted to power in Chhattisgarh. He also promised to hold the exercise at the national level if the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (of which Congress is a part) is elected at the Centre in next year’s Lok Sabha elections.
{{/usCountry}}He promised to hold a caste survey, akin to the one held in Bihar, the details of which were shared by the Nitish Kumar government on Tuesday, if the Congress is voted to power in Chhattisgarh. He also promised to hold the exercise at the national level if the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (of which Congress is a part) is elected at the Centre in next year’s Lok Sabha elections.
{{/usCountry}}“BJP used the ‘vanvasi’ term for adivasis. There is a huge difference between ‘vanvasi’ and ‘adivasi’. You must have that video in which a BJP leader urinated on a tribal man (in Madhya Pradesh). They don’t urinate on animals but they do such acts with tribals. This is the mindset of the BJP,” Gandhi said.
There was no immediate reaction from the BJP.