Rahul likens caste census to X-ray, vows to carry it out after coming to power
The Hindu
Rahul Gandhi exudes confidence Congress will sweep Telangana polls. He promises caste census to promote social justice, 6 guarantees for welfare & Janata Sarkar. Criticises Modi govt for silence on caste census.
Exuding confidence that the Congress party will sweep the November 30 Assembly elections in Telangana like a tidal wave, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the party will take up caste census to promote social justice, implement its 6 guarantees for the welfare of all and usher in Janata sarkar (People’s government) in a mission mode.
Caste-based census is imperative to achieve social justice and empowerment of the underprivileged and marginalised sections of the society, he said, criticising the Narendra Modi-led BJP regime at the Centre for remaining ‘silent’ on the vital issue.
Addressing a huge public meeting in Telangana’s Peddapalli town on the second day of the party’s ‘Vijayabheri’ bus yatra drumming up support for the party candidates on Thursday, Mr Gandhi turned the spotlight on the caste census and took both the BJP government at the Centre and the BRS regime in Telangana for their “callous apathy” towards the empowerment of OBCs and other weaker sections.
Mr Gandhi reaffirmed that the Congress party will undertake caste census in Telangana and at the national level immediately after coming to power.
Likening caste-census to an X-ray, he said, “We will conduct X-ray to collect authentic data that will help emancipate the disadvantaged and marginalised groups. It will also reveal the extent of gross injustices done to these underprivileged sections in budgetary allocations and the ‘corruption’ of the persons at the helm in the BRS regime.”
Renewing his attack on both the BRS and the BJP, Mr Gandhi said Mr Narendra Modi and Mr Chandrasekhar Rao are scared of conducting caste census fearing exposure of the bleak scenario.
There are only three OBCs among 90 cabinet secretaries in the country, he pointed out saying, “When I raised the question on the abysmally low representation of OBCs in the top posts in the country’s bureaucracy on the floor of the Parliament, Mr Narendra Modi did not respond to my question.”
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