Priyanka Gandhi promises caste survey in Chhattisgarh if Congress retains power after polls

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said if her party retains power in Chhattisgarh after the upcoming Assembly polls, a caste census will be carried out in the State on the lines of a similar exercise conducted in Bihar.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on October 6 said if her party retains power in Chhattisgarh after the upcoming Assembly polls, a caste census will be carried out in the State on the lines of a similar exercise conducted in Bihar.

Addressing 'Nagariya Nikaay Evam Panchayati Raj Mahasammlen', an event of the Congress government in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district, she also promised ten lakh houses for the poor if her party gets elected again in the polls due by the year-end.

Hitting out at the BJP-led government at the Centre, Ms. Gandhi alleged it is for the rich and has no concern for the poor or the middle class. “If the Congress party again elected to power in Chhattisgarh, a caste census will be carried out in the State on the lines of a caste survey conducted in Bihar,” she said.

The ruling party's announcement is being seen as a major move to woo Other Backward Classes (OBC), who account for about 45% of the State's population, in run up to the polls. Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress leader said guarantees given by him are just hollow promises.

"What happened to Modi's guarantee of depositing ₹15 lakh into bank accounts of every citizen and of generating crores of jobs? Whenever a question is asked, Modi ji gives a new guarantee. His guarantees are hollow guarantees," she said. Ms. Gandhi said the BJP-led government at the Centre has weakened farmers in the country.

“Farmers in the country are earning just ₹27 per day, while Adani and other industrialists are making ₹1,600 crore per day,” she said.

"They (BJP) just want the country's assets to be handed over to their industrialists friends and then divert them (assets/money) through them to the party. And then they keep on spending (money) in elections. Their only aim is to remain in power, not the welfare of people," Ms. Gandhi alleged.