By Abdul Bari Masoud
New Delhi: Hours after the Election Commission of India announced the schedule for the assembly election in five states, Congress on Monday upped the ante on the caste census across the country. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done nothing for OBCs, Dalits, and tribals as they are not getting what is due to them. He said instead of doing something for them, the PM is diverting their attention from the real and important issues. Calling the caste census the ‘X-ray’, Gandhi said that it would help open up a new developmental paradigm for India.
“The PM cannot conduct the caste census,” Gandhi told reporters after the Congress passed a resolution calling for a nationwide caste census at the Congress Working Committee meeting held today.
Describing it as a ‘historic decision’, he said at a press conference that the CWC met earlier in the day for four hours and discussed the caste census.
“A historic decision has been taken by [the] CWC collectively… Our Chief Ministers have decided that they will conduct a caste census in Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Chhattisgarh, which is a progressive and powerful step for the emancipation of poor people,” Gandhi said.
“Our three out of four chief ministers are OBCs. Only one OBC member makes up the BJP’s ten chief ministers. How many BJP chief ministers are OBCs? The PM doesn’t help the OBCs; instead, he diverts their attention from the important problems,” he underlined.
Speaking along with all four Congress chief ministers, he said that the Congress will exert pressure on the Modi government to carry out a caste census since the country wants it.
“Congress will put pressure on the BJP to carry out the caste census because the country needs it. If the BJP doesn’t do this, it should get out of the way, so we can carry out the caste census”.
He said the PM is not willing to conduct the caste census, which is an “X-ray’ of society.
When asked if the INDIA bloc agrees with Congress’s stance on the caste census, he said that the bulk of the parties in the opposition alliance accept the caste census decision. He added that a few parties might have an issue, but Congress does not have a problem with that. “We are flexible and not a fascist party,” he said.
Refuting the PM and the ruling party’s allegation of dividing the people, Gandhi said the caste census is not about caste or religion; it is about poverty. It is not about dividing the people; it is about giving people their rights. “I fail to understand how PM is connecting the caste census to the representation of Southern states”, he added.
He further underlined that OBCs, Dalits, and tribal people are not receiving their fair share of benefits.
“So that we can determine whether it is true or not, we wish to have an X-ray done. Why is Modi Ji afraid to have an X-ray? We require an X-ray of Indian society in order to create a new development paradigm where everyone is treated fairly.”
In response to a question, Rahul Gandhi asked to the reporters to raise their hands if any of them were from OBC, Dalit, or tribal groups but none was there..There was dead silence in the conference hall after this question.
Attacking the PM’s crony capitalists, Congress MP said today, there are two Indias—one for Adani ji and the other for all.
“The census will clearly show the percentage of different categories. But we will not stop there; we will also get an economic survey conducted so that we get to know who controls the wealth of the country and the assets of the country. The economic survey will tell us how much wealth is in the hands of OBCs, Dalits, and tribals and what their participation in institutions is.
“It will be up to Modi Ji to explain what he has done for OBCs. In Parliament, I highlighted the example of the Union government’s 90 secretaries, three of whom were from the OBC. But Modi ji made no comment on this. That indicates that he accepts the fact that around 50% of the population has no right to run the government,” he asked.
PM Modi is not committing to either releasing the results of the last caste census or conducting the subsequent one on the basis of caste.
He said PM Modi can’t say this because he does not work for OBCs; his work is only to distract the OBC community.
“The fact is that the RSS and Modi ji have built a whole system to distract people from the issue of the participation of OBCs, Dalits, and tribals. Modiji is the main instrument in this system”.
“Wherever PM Modi is going, he is distracting people. Sometimes, he talks about delimitation; sometimes, he talks about South India. But he is not stating the truth that OBC secretaries control only 5% of the budget of the Union government. PM and BJP will find many ways to distract people in the times to come”.
In response to a question, he said supporting the caste census is not a political decision based on calculations; this decision has been taken for justice, for equal participation.
On the party’s prospects in the coming assembly election, he said he felt that there was anger among people because of unemployment, inflation, and rising inequality. People like Adani are becoming more and more rich; all national assets are being handed over to him, while farmers and laborers are getting poorer.
We are going to win in MP, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana, he claimed. In response to the ruling party’s hate politics, Rahul Gandhi said PM Modii and the BJP have presented a vision of violence, hatred, and fear, but the Congress presents a vision of participation, love, and respect.
“I believe that the nation’s mood has changed. The BJP leaders do not yet realize it, but they will gradually come to realize that the country does not appreciate what they have done to it by inciting hatred, assaulting institutions, and terrorizing citizens,” he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that he has asked for the survey to be given to his government, after which it will be immediately made public. Siddaramaiah has been under increasing pressure to release the caste census that was conducted in the state earlier. conference.
K. Jayaprakash, chair of the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes, announced earlier this week that the caste census report would be sent to the state government in November.
Prior to that, addressing the CWC meeting, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge warned that PM Modi’s “baseless attacks filled with lies and falsehoods” against the Congress party would only intensify in the days to come. Speaking to party leaders at the CWC meeting, he said that the prime minister’s absence from Manipur contrasts sharply with his regular trips to the states that are going to elections.
“The prime minister’s absence in Manipur stands in sharp contrast to his frequent visits to the election-going states. His baseless attacks, filled with lies and falsehoods, on the Congress party will only increase in the coming days. It is essential that we counter these falsehoods and create our own counter narrative,” he underlined. He urged party members to coordinate their efforts, maintain strict discipline, and act in unison in order to win the elections in the five states.
During his address to the CWC meeting, Kharge once again raised the demand for conducting a nationwide caste census to ensure social justice and rights for the SCs, STs, and OBCs in accordance with their population, while noting that the BJP is silent on this.
Following the reconstitution of the CWC in August under Kharge, this was the second meeting of the Congress’ top decision-making body. Hyderabad hosted the first CWC meeting last month.