New Delhi [India], October 9 (ANI): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday hailed the move of party-ruled Rajasthan government for caste survey in the state and said there was demand for it from delegation of OBC community which met Rahul Gandhi during his Bharat Jodo Yatra. Jairam Ramesh asked why no BJP government has gone for caste census.

“During the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Rajasthan, several delegations met Rahul Gandhi. The delegation from OBC community specailly demanded caste census. Rahul Gandhi took their words very seriously. Now the Rajasthan government has decided to for caste survey which is a very welcome step. It will help make policies for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs and it is important to ensure participation in accordanace with the size of population and for social justice. The question is why no BJP government is taking this initiative and why is Prime Minister silent on this issue,” Ramesh said in a post on X.

Later in the day, the Congress Working Committee passed a unanimous resolution for conducting the caste census across the country, which it said will set a new paradigm of development. Addressing a press conference after a four-hour long CWC meeting presided over by the Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge here today, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said, his party will force the

Prime Minister “to conduct the caste census or will make him get out of the way”.
Gandhi described caste census as a progressive and powerful step for the emancipation of the poor people.

He said of four Congress Chief Ministers, three were OBCs, while out of ten BJP Chief Ministers only one was an OBC. Gandhi expressed confidence that the Congress will win elections in all the five states for which polling dates were announced today by the Election Commission. (ANI)

“Incapable…”: Rahul Gandhi attacks PM Modi over caste census

New Delhi [India], October 9 (ANI): Taking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not conducting a caste survey across the country and alleging that the PM has been employing diversionary tactics to avoid the survey, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said that PM Modi is “incapable” of doing the caste census.
“The PM is incapable of doing the caste census. Our three out of four CMs are from the OBC category. Out of 10 BJP CMs, only one CM is from the OBC category. How many BJP CMs are from the OBC category? The PM doesn’t work for the OBCs but to distract them from main issues,” the Congress leader said after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting.

Rahul Gandhi asserted that PM Modi’s aim is to distract the public and cautioned that in the coming days PM will keep bringing up many distractions. “PM‘s aim is to distract… In the coming times, he will keep bringing up many distractions. This (caste census) is not a political decision but a decision based on justice. There are no political calculations,” he said.

Rahul further said that as I had said about COVID-19, China, I am saying again that caste census will be conducted in the country and Congress will make this happen. “We will pressurize the BJP to conduct a caste census because the country needs it. As far as the INDIA alliance is concerned, I think most of the parties will support it. There might be just a few parties who might not support it but we don’t have any problem,” he added.

The Congress Working Committee (CWC) unanimously supported the idea of a caste census in the country and called it a “progressive and powerful step”, the Congress leader said.
He also said that Chief Ministers of Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan believe that it is a very important step.

Congress held a CWC meeting at the AICC office in the national capital. Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi attended the meeting.

Along with them the Chief Ministers of all the Congress-ruled states and the top party brass deliberate on several issues at the CWC meeting. 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.

The CWC has 39 regular members, 32 permanent invitees and 13 special invitees, including 15 women and several new faces. (ANI)