Conducting caste census our party's guarantee: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh

Jairam Ramesh. File Pic

Conducting caste census is our party's guarantee, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said in Maharashtra's Nandurbar district on Tuesday, reported the PTI.

"We have given a guarantee that there should be social, economic and caste census," Ramesh, Congress general secretary and in-charge of communications, told reporters ahead of party leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra entering Maharashtra on its last leg, as per the PTI.

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"This is our society's X-ray which will show us the population of various castes and their share in our nation's wealth. It will also reflect their stake in our democratic institutions," the former Union minister said, according to the PTI.

Maharashtra's Nandurbar district is known for its connection with the Nehru-Gandhi family.

Comprising a part of the Satpura mountain ranges and Narmada river belt, Nandurbar district in North Maharashtra also touches Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

The yatra will culminate in Mumbai, where Rahul Gandhi will address a public rally on March 17.

Meanwhile, Jairam Ramesh on Monday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah 'experts at psychological warfare' while questioning their claim that the BJP-led NDA was poised to go '400 paar' (beyond 400) in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024, the ANI reported.

Speaking to ANI on Monday, the senior Congress leader said, "If they are so optimistic about winning 370 seats on their own and past 400 in alliance with its partners in the NDA, why they are running after BJD, Pawan Kalyan, or TDP for tie-ups?"

Ramesh said the BJP's pre-poll alliance with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), an erstwhile NDA partner, and actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan's Jana Sena ahead of the general elections was an "attempt to revive" the ruling alliance.

In a free-wheeling conversation with ANI during the Gujarat leg of the ongoing 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra', the Congress general secretary-in-charge for Communications said, "PM Modi and Amit Shah are experts at psychological warfare. If they are so confident about their numbers in the polls, why they are looking to add more partners as the elections draw near? Earlier, PM Modi said he was more than enough to take on INDIA. However, now, they are running around, trying to woo BJD, Pawan Kalyan and Chandrababu Naidu to their side. They are trying to revive the NDA."

Taking a further swipe at the BJP, the Congress leader said, "There are two 'I's in INDIA if we take out these two, which stand for 'Imandari' and 'Insaniyat', you are left with NDA. This is the message that we are going to people with ahead of the elections."

On the probable PM face for the INDIA Bloc, he said, "In our country, elections are not beauty contests. They are not just fights involving parties but also represent the battle of ideologies, symbols and flags," the ANI reported on Monday.

(with PTI and ANI inputs)