Rahul Gandhi’s promise: Caste census within two hours of coming to power in Centre

He targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of the caste census, and for “choosing to help industrialists over poor and backward people”. “Any government functions in two ways. One way is by helping the rich, and the second is by helping the poor. We help the poor, labourers, farmers, unemployed, tribals, Dalits and backward people. Their government makes tall claims and in the end helps Adani ji. As (CM Bhupesh) Baghel ji said, mines, airports, ports are given to Adani. Farm laws were made to help Adani. The apple business in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir is given to Adani.”

Citing thousands of crores spent by the Congress government on welfare schemes, Rahul said, “We know this country cannot stand or progress till we help the poor and weaker sections. The money given to farmers comes in the market and helps villages and small cities prosper. But money given to industrialists is spent by them in buying properties abroad.”

“BJP has started a new thing,” he said. “Modi ji says, wherever he goes, that he works for backward people and OBCs. You (Modi) use the word OBC everywhere, then why fear an OBC caste census? Because you know OBC people are poorly represented (in the government). You know this reality and do not want the OBC youth to know this.”

Rahul said that out of 90 IAS officers who work as secretaries to the government of India, only three are OBC. “These 90 officials run the government, and not the Members of Parliament from Rajya Sabha or Lok Sabha. They decide the budget. Within them, just three are OBC… So does that mean the OBC population is just 5% in India? I believe the OBC population is 50-55%. But Modi ji does not want the OBC youth to know this reality. OBC youth need to be aware, you are being robbed.”

“Today I promise every OBC youth that a caste census will be done within two hours of our party coming to power in India. If we win in Chhattisgarh, we will do a caste census here,” he said.

Rahul then spoke about tribals and how the two parties view them differently. While Congress sees them as Adivasis who have the first right over jal, jungle and zameen (water, forests and land), the BJP sees them as Vanvasi, or someone who lives in the forest and does not have the first right over these things. “Adivasi is the correct word and not Vanvasi,” said Rahul.

He also said English-medium schools have been made in the state to ensure the poor and the backward connect with the world, which BJP leaders do not want. This is why, he said, BJP leaders emphasise on teaching Hindi while sending their own children to English-medium schools.