NEW DELHI: The Congress Working Committee on Monday passed a unanimous resolution for conducting the caste census across the country, which it said, would set a new paradigm of development.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said at a presser that the Congress-ruled states of Rajasthan, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, and Himachal Pradesh will hold caste census in their respective states.
Presided over by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, the four-hour CWC meeting was attended by all party chief ministers. Most constituents of the INDIA bloc support the idea of caste census, said Rahul. “Most parties in the INDIA alliance are unanimous that the caste census should be implemented. There might be a few, who have a slightly different position and that’s fine, we are quite flexible, not fascist,”’ he added. The Wayanad MP asserted that his party would force the Prime Minister to conduct the caste census or make him get out of the way.
Describing ‘caste census’ as a ‘progressive and powerful step for the emancipation of the poor, the senior Congress leader said it would set a new paradigm of development in the country as it will establish the actual status of the OBCs, Dalits, the Adivasis and the poor.
“Today, two Indias are being created — one for the Adanis and the other for everyone. The caste census will clearly show the kind of people and the number of people in India. This is not a matter of caste or religion, it is a matter of poverty.”
He said that a new political and economic model would be built in the country based on the caste census. He said that out of four Congress CMs, three were OBCs, while out of 10 BJP CMs, only one was an OBC and even he will cease to be the CM very soon, referring to Shivraj Singh Chouhan.