Samvidhan Samman Sammelan: Caste census will happen, says Rahul Gandhi in Nagpur

Rahul Gandhi. File Pic/PTI

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, while addressing Samvidhan Samman Sammelan in Maharashtra's Nagpur on Wednesday, said that the caste census will happen in the country, reported the PTI.

Rahul Gandhi asserted that the exercise will show the injustice meted out to Dalits, OBCs and Adivasis.

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"Caste census will make everything clear. Everyone will come to know how much power they wield and what our role is," Rahul Gandhi said, addressing the Samvidhan Samman Sammelan.

Caste census is a paradigm of development, Rahul Gandhi said.

"We will also break the 50 per cent (reservation cap) wall," he added, according to the PTI.

"We have to tell the country that we are fighting to secure justice for over 90 per cent marginalised people in the country," he said.

The Constitution drafted by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar is not just a book but a way of life, Rahul Gandhi said. When people from the RSS and BJP attack the Constitution, they are attacking the voice of the country, he added.

"You won't find a single Dalit, OBC and Adivasi in Adani company management," Rahul Gandhi said.

"You waive off Rs 16 lakh crore debts of just 25 people, but when I speak of farmers' loan waiver, I am attacked for changing habits of these people," he added.

Rahul Gandhi urges PM Modi to support caste census

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to publicly endorse a caste census and address representation issues faced by marginalised communities in India. He added that he is "committed" to dismantling the 50 per cent reservation cap to ensure social justice, the ANI reported on Tuesday.

Speaking at a meeting on the caste census in Hyderabad on Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi questioned the Prime Minister's silence on the need for data regarding Dalits and OBCs (Other Backward Classes) in sectors such as business and the judiciary.

"I still wonder why the Prime Minister of the country has not publicly declared his intent to challenge discrimination in Indian society. Why hasn't he asked how many Dalits are present in India's boardrooms? How many OBCs are there in the judicial system? Why is he reluctant to pose these questions?" Rahul Gandhi remarked.

Rahul Gandhi reiterated the Congress party's commitment to conducting a national caste census, describing it as essential for addressing representation gaps in public and private institutions.

(with PTI and ANI inputs)