NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi demanded that the Centre provide the timeline by when caste census would be done, even as he warned that the exercise will only bear fruits if it is designed to ask the right questions as done by the survey conducted by Congress-led govt in Telangana. The Congress MP said caste census is required to know participation of weaker sections in institutions and power structure, so that they can be given "access to power".
As he dubbed caste census "a first step...a big step" in changing the development paradigm, Rahul demanded the govt abolish the 50% limit on reservations and immediately implement caste quotas in private educational institutions, in line with the Constitutional amendment of Article 15(5).
But the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha expressed "immediate suspicion" that the govt on the census will adopt a "strategy on timeline" as in the women's reservation bill, suggesting that its execution will be kept open-ended.
Claiming BJP was forced to change its stance under Congress pressure, Rahul mocked, "PM Modi used to say there are only four castes but now suddenly announced caste census". He was referring to Modi's election speeches, in which the PM, rubbishing the demand for caste census, said the only four castes that exist for him are "women, youth, poor, farmers". Rahul, who has turned caste census into a sort of mascot of Congress's growing social justice platform over the past two years, held a presser to react to the govt announcement - indicating that he views it as a victory with evidence that "BJP can be pressured". He asserted that Congress pushed the demand with a massive grassroots campaign, which had its effect on the govt. "We welcome the decision. It is our vision, they have adopted it," Rahul said. Rahul said unlike Bihar, Telangana's caste census is the model for doing the exercise, as the questions were crystallised through public consultation and not decided by bureaucrats.
He offered to Modi govt Congress's help in finalising the design of the census.
As he dubbed caste census "a first step...a big step" in changing the development paradigm, Rahul demanded the govt abolish the 50% limit on reservations and immediately implement caste quotas in private educational institutions, in line with the Constitutional amendment of Article 15(5).
But the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha expressed "immediate suspicion" that the govt on the census will adopt a "strategy on timeline" as in the women's reservation bill, suggesting that its execution will be kept open-ended.
Claiming BJP was forced to change its stance under Congress pressure, Rahul mocked, "PM Modi used to say there are only four castes but now suddenly announced caste census". He was referring to Modi's election speeches, in which the PM, rubbishing the demand for caste census, said the only four castes that exist for him are "women, youth, poor, farmers". Rahul, who has turned caste census into a sort of mascot of Congress's growing social justice platform over the past two years, held a presser to react to the govt announcement - indicating that he views it as a victory with evidence that "BJP can be pressured". He asserted that Congress pushed the demand with a massive grassroots campaign, which had its effect on the govt. "We welcome the decision. It is our vision, they have adopted it," Rahul said. Rahul said unlike Bihar, Telangana's caste census is the model for doing the exercise, as the questions were crystallised through public consultation and not decided by bureaucrats.
He offered to Modi govt Congress's help in finalising the design of the census.
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