PATNA: Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi conceded to the demand for a nationwide caste census only after coming under pressure.
Addressing the ‘Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan’ at Rajgir in Bihar’s Nalanda district, Rahul said, “My objective is caste census. I told Modi Ji in Lok Sabha that a caste census would be conducted. You know he has a habit of surrendering. I knew that the day we put a little pressure, they would completely surrender.”
He said he was fighting for the caste census because it would help protect the Constitution and bring overall development in the country. “We will also remove 50 percent reservation if we form a government in future. It will start from Bihar,” he said, speaking in the home district of Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar.
Rahul also targeted Modi over his silence on former US President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that he helped broker a ceasefire between India and Pakistan under Operation Sindoor. “Trump has made the statement of brokering peace between India and Pakistan many times. Trump has said publicly 11 times, 11 times, that I made Narendra Modi surrender. Narendra Modi is unable to respond, and unable to say that Trump is lying because it’s the truth,” he said.
He alleged that the Modi government would never conduct a proper caste census, as it would end their style of politics. “I doubt the government conducting caste census properly with no officers from the OBC, tribal community finalising the questionnaire,” he added.
Rahul also criticised the Nitish Kumar-led state government over what he called a rising crime rate in Bihar. “Bihar was once considered the land of truth, justice, and non-violence. It showed the path to the entire world; people from across the globe used to come to study at Nalanda University,” he said. “People from Bihar are now forced to migrate to other states and even abroad because there are no employment opportunities here. Bihar has now become the crime capital of the country,” he said.
Earlier, Rahul visited Dashrath Nagar village in Gaya district as part of his outreach campaign in Bihar ahead of the Assembly elections. He met the family of the late Dashrath Manjhi, famously known as the “Mountain Man” for carving a road through a hill in Gehlor village to connect it with Wazirganj block. Rahul was received by Manjhi’s son Bhagirath Manjhi, who reportedly expressed his interest in contesting the upcoming Assembly elections from Bodh Gaya, although no formal announcement was made.
Rahul later went to Gehlor village and garlanded the statue of Dashrath Manjhi. This was his sixth visit to Bihar in six months. He also held a Mahila Samvad in Gaya and interacted with women.
