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Resolutions at CWC meet: Congress questions caste census timing, seeks accountability on Pahalgam attack

The Opposition party maintained it “stands with the government in the time of this [Pahalgam] crisis” but said there has been “no indication so far” about what it is doing.

Caste census, Congress Caste census, Rahul Gandhi Caste census, Pahalgam attack, Pahalgam terror attack, Pahalgam terrorist attack, Pahalgam terrorists, Indian army, india pakistan ties, india pakistan tensions, article 370, Indian army, Abrogation of Article 370, terrorism, terrorist attack, Kashmir attack, Jammu and Kashmir terrorist attack, Jammu and Kashmir, cross-border infiltration, border security, border infiltration, Indian express news, current affairsCong chief Mallikarjun Kharge, and party leaders Rahul and Sonia Gandhi, during the CWC meet in New Delhi on Friday. (Anil Sharma)

The Congress Friday sharpened its attack on the government over the Pahalgam terror attack, alleging “inaction” and flagging questions over the “government’s capability” as 10 days had passed since the killing of 26 people.

The party also questioned the timing of the caste enumeration announcement, saying it came at a time when “the country was mourning the Pahalgam incident”.

The Opposition party maintained it “stands with the government in the time of this [Pahalgam] crisis” but said there has been “no indication so far” about what it is doing.

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At a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Friday evening, leaders adopted a resolution each on the Pahalgam incident and the caste enumeration announcement.

On the caste census, the party said it must be a comprehensive exercise that records not just statistics but also socio-economic indicators. The party said the Telangana caste survey, which had 56 questions, is the model the Centre should emulate.

The Congress said the caste census must have a timeline and reiterated its demand for lifting the 50% quota cap. Sources said that party leaders discussed making sure that the BJP-led government “doesn’t steal the narrative” on the issue.

According to a leader present at the meeting, Rahul Gandhi told the CWC there was a need for the party “to stick to issues for longer than six months” and that sustained campaigns like the one on the caste census can force the government to accept the party’s demands.

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On Pahalgam, the CWC resolution said it “is a time for demonstrating our collective will as a nation to teach Pakistan a lesson and curb terrorism decisively”. The party urged the government to make Pakistan pay “for its continued export of terror into our territory”.

While the Congress had spoken about “intelligence failures” and “security lapses” during an emergency CWC meeting on April 24, it took a clearer stand during Friday’s meeting for the need for action to “teach Pakistan a lesson”.

At a briefing following the meeting, former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Singh Baghel said: “Those who have died, when will they get justice? Who is responsible? Does the Home Minister take responsibility or the Defence Minister? Why did the security apparatus fail?”

A source said that Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra raised an issue with the word “inquiry” in an earlier draft of the Pahalgam resolution. “Her point was that it should not be interpreted as the inquiry that Pakistan is demanding, and hence, the word was removed and replaced with accountability,” said the source.

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“The CWC reaffirms its earlier demand for time-bound accountability into the serious lapses in security and intelligence in one of the most heavily guarded regions of the country. The people of India deserve transparency and accountability,” said the resolution.

Another source told The Indian Express that Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy made a presentation at the CWC on the caste survey in the state.

On the timing of the caste census announcement, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said: “…The whole country was mourning the Pahalgam incident… Then, suddenly this decision was taken at night.”

Asad Rehman is with the national bureau of The Indian Express and covers politics and policy focusing on religious minorities in India. A journalist for over eight years, Rehman moved to this role after covering Uttar Pradesh for five years for The Indian Express. During his time in Uttar Pradesh, he covered politics, crime, health, and human rights among other issues. He did extensive ground reports and covered the protests against the new citizenship law during which many were killed in the state. During the Covid pandemic, he did extensive ground reporting on the migration of workers from the metropolitan cities to villages in Uttar Pradesh. He has also covered some landmark litigations, including the Babri Masjid-Ram temple case and the ongoing Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute. Prior to that, he worked on The Indian Express national desk for three years where he was a copy editor. Rehman studied at La Martiniere, Lucknow and then went on to do a bachelor's degree in History from Ramjas College, Delhi University. He also has a Masters degree from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia. ... Read More

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