Rahul in Chhattisgarh: 'BJP running away from caste census; if voted to power, Congress will carry it out'

Launching Mukhyamantri Gramin Awas Nyay Yojna at Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur, Rahul Gandhi said his party would conduct a "caste census" to ensure the participation of OBCs, Dalits, tribals and women.

Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh):Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said his party would conduct a "caste census" if elected to power as only such an exercise would ensure "participation of OBCs, Dalits, tribals and women".

He also asked why the Narendra Modi government had not released the details of a 'caste census' conducted by the Congress (when it was in power) and sought to know if the PM was afraid of such an exercise. Rahul was addressing a rally after he launched Mukhyamantri Gramin Awas Nyay Yojna (MGANY) in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur district.

The Congress leader said that the BJP is running away from the caste census, but the Congress government will carry it out if elected to power. Launching a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, Rahul said, "The Congress had conducted a caste census in 2011 that has the record of the population of every caste in the country. The Union government has this report but Modiji doesn't want to reveal it. If Modiji does not conduct a caste census, then when we are elected to power our first step will be to conduct a caste census to ensure OBC participation."

Rahul said that the government is not run by MPs and MLAs but by secretaries and cabinet secretaries. He pointed out that only three of the 90 secretaries in various Union government ministries are OBCs. These three persons control only 5 per cent of the country's budget.

Addressing the state government's 'Awas Nyay Sammelan' in Parsada (Sakri) village in Bilaspur, Rahul also waved a remote control at the crowd and said the poor and needy were benefited when the Congress presses it, while "Adani gets ports, airports and railway contracts" when the ruling BJP does the same.

He said, "There are two remote controls. When we press it, farmers receive money into their accounts through Nyay Scheme and English medium schools get opened (in Chhattisgarh). But when BJP presses a remote, the public sector gets privatized and jal-jungle-zameen (water, forests and land) goes to Adani."