Prahlad Joshi slams Congress caste census resolution

On Monday, Union Minister Prahlad Joshi reacted to the Congress Working Committee (CWC) adopting a resolution on holding a nationwide caste census in the country and said that the Congress remembers everything when it is playing the role of the opposition. He added that no action was taken by the Congress party during their ten-year tenure.

Joshi said, “Their (Congress) government was at the Centre for ten years. Rahul Gandhi remembers everything when his party is in the opposition. His father and his grandmother all were in power. Now they are remembering all this (the issue of caste census).”

Earlier, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said that the Congress Working Committee (CWC) unanimously supported the idea of a caste census in the country and called it a “progressive and powerful step.” He further said that Chief Ministers of Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan believe that it is a very important step. Rahul Gandhi aimed at PM Modi for not conducting a caste survey across the country and alleged that the Prime Minister has been employing diversionary tactics to avoid the survey.

He said, “The PM is incapable of doing the caste census. Our 3 out of 4 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.”

A few days back, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced that the state will conduct a caste-based census like in Bihar. On similar lines in Chhattisgarh, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also asserted if Congress is re-elected to power in the state, a caste census will be conducted in the state, similar to the one carried out in Bihar.

The report of the caste-based survey conducted in Bihar was released on October 2 by the Nitish Kumar-led Mahagathbandhan government. The Congress is an ally of the government in Bihar.