[ad_1]
NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday reiterated his party’s resolve to conduct caste census in the country if voted to power in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Speaking in Nagpur at a Congress rally organised on the occasion of party’s 139th foundation day, Rahul said the OBCs, Dalits and tribals do not have enough representation in many sectors in the country and reiterated that a caste census will be conducted if Opposition’s INDIA alliance came to power.
“Earlier prime minister Narendra Modi would describe himself as an OBC. But after my demand (of caste census), he says there is only one caste, the poor. If there is only one caste, why do you say you are an OBC,” the Congress leader asked.
Rahul Gandhi had made caste census one of the core themes of Congress campaign in the just concluded assembly elections in the five states. However, the issue did not resonate in the Hindi heartland of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan with the voters handing over power to the BJP in all the three states.
To counter the opposition’s caste pitch, Prime Minister Modi has said that he considers the poor, youth, women and farmers as the “biggest castes”, and uplift of these four will make the country developed.
In one of his interactions with the beneficiaries of Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, the Prime Minister said, “Mere liye desh ki sabse badi chaar jatiyan hain. Mere liye sabse badi jaati hai garib. Mere liye sabse badi jaati hai yuva, mere liye sabse badi jaati hai mahilayen. Mere liye sabse badi jaati hai kisan. (For me, there are four biggest castes in the country. For me, the biggest caste is the poor. For me, the biggest caste is the youth, the biggest caste is women. For me, the biggest caste is farmers).”
The opposition demand for a nation-wide caste census grew stronger after the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar released the results of caste survey undertaken in the state.
The Bihar caste survey revealed that the Backward Classes – including Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Extremely Backward Classes (EBC) – constitute a whopping 63% of the state’s total population of 13 crore.
The opposition bloc has made it clear that caste census will be a core election issue. This possibly is one of the reasons why the BJP made caste balance one of the key factors in deciding its new governments in the state of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
In the new Madhya Pradesh cabinet led by chief minister Mohan Yadav, the BJP has incucted 11 OBC, 6 Scheduled Caste and 4 Schedule Tribe members. In Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh also, caste factor played an important role in deciding the new line of leadership.
After the BJP named its new chief ministers, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had said that this was an effect of Rahul Gandhi’s demand for a caste census.
“After Rahul ji spoke about caste census, now CMs (in Rajasthan, MP and Chhattisgarh) are appointed keeping in mind the caste equation. Modi ji is now walking on the path of Rahul ji. This is an effect of demand for a caste census,” the Congress leader had said.
The Congress and the opposition hopes to raise the caste pitch to counter the BJP’s aggressive Hindutva appeal. However, the attempt failed in the assembly elections and it remains to be seen if it makes any impact in the Lok Sabha elections.
Speaking in Nagpur at a Congress rally organised on the occasion of party’s 139th foundation day, Rahul said the OBCs, Dalits and tribals do not have enough representation in many sectors in the country and reiterated that a caste census will be conducted if Opposition’s INDIA alliance came to power.
“Earlier prime minister Narendra Modi would describe himself as an OBC. But after my demand (of caste census), he says there is only one caste, the poor. If there is only one caste, why do you say you are an OBC,” the Congress leader asked.
Rahul Gandhi had made caste census one of the core themes of Congress campaign in the just concluded assembly elections in the five states. However, the issue did not resonate in the Hindi heartland of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan with the voters handing over power to the BJP in all the three states.
To counter the opposition’s caste pitch, Prime Minister Modi has said that he considers the poor, youth, women and farmers as the “biggest castes”, and uplift of these four will make the country developed.
In one of his interactions with the beneficiaries of Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, the Prime Minister said, “Mere liye desh ki sabse badi chaar jatiyan hain. Mere liye sabse badi jaati hai garib. Mere liye sabse badi jaati hai yuva, mere liye sabse badi jaati hai mahilayen. Mere liye sabse badi jaati hai kisan. (For me, there are four biggest castes in the country. For me, the biggest caste is the poor. For me, the biggest caste is the youth, the biggest caste is women. For me, the biggest caste is farmers).”
The opposition demand for a nation-wide caste census grew stronger after the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar released the results of caste survey undertaken in the state.
The Bihar caste survey revealed that the Backward Classes – including Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Extremely Backward Classes (EBC) – constitute a whopping 63% of the state’s total population of 13 crore.
The opposition bloc has made it clear that caste census will be a core election issue. This possibly is one of the reasons why the BJP made caste balance one of the key factors in deciding its new governments in the state of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
In the new Madhya Pradesh cabinet led by chief minister Mohan Yadav, the BJP has incucted 11 OBC, 6 Scheduled Caste and 4 Schedule Tribe members. In Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh also, caste factor played an important role in deciding the new line of leadership.
After the BJP named its new chief ministers, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had said that this was an effect of Rahul Gandhi’s demand for a caste census.
“After Rahul ji spoke about caste census, now CMs (in Rajasthan, MP and Chhattisgarh) are appointed keeping in mind the caste equation. Modi ji is now walking on the path of Rahul ji. This is an effect of demand for a caste census,” the Congress leader had said.
The Congress and the opposition hopes to raise the caste pitch to counter the BJP’s aggressive Hindutva appeal. However, the attempt failed in the assembly elections and it remains to be seen if it makes any impact in the Lok Sabha elections.
[ad_2]
Source link
