New Delhi: The Janata Dal (United) on Sunday accused Rahul Gandhi of hypocrisy on the issue of caste census, charging him with maintaining silence when Bihar CM Nitish Kumar raised the matter in INDIA bloc meetings. The party also asked why the Congress government in Karnataka has not released the state's caste data.
JD(U) working president and MP Sanjay Jha's attack on the Congress leader came a day after Gandhi slammed the caste survey carried out by the Kumar-led government as a fake exercise at an event in Patna while pitching for a nationwide caste census.
Speaking to PTI, Jha said, "There cannot be a bigger hypocrisy than this. I was a witness to Gandhi maintaining silence while Kumar strongly and logically spoke in favour of caste census at INDIA bloc meetings in several places." Kumar-led JD(U) was part of the INDIA bloc before he snapped ties with the opposition alliance and joined hands with the BJP.
Incidentally, Bihar's caste survey was carried out and its findings were released when Congress was a partner in the government led by Kumar. Jha said Kumar was the only leader who raised the issue of caste census, and all INDIA bloc members were a witness.
Defending the caste survey in Bihar, he said Kumar is the only leader since 1931, when a nationwide caste census was held last, who decided to count the population of different castes scientifically to further social justice.
Taking a swipe at Gandhi, he said the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha should be more specific and tell people if he believes that Bihar's caste survey has overcounted some communities and undercounted some others.
He should not instead skirt the issue, Jha said, adding that Kumar has used the figures to expand the scope of reservation though the issue is currently sub-judice. Slamming the Congress, he said its government in Karnataka has been sitting over the caste-wise population data in the state for several years. Why did Gandhi not get it released, he asked.
