‘Caste census X-ray of India’, PM doesn’t want to make it public: Rahul Gandhi
Addressing the ‘Awas Nyay Sammelan’ organised by the Bhupesh Baghel government, Gandhi waved a remote control at the crowd.
Ahead of the Chhattisgarh assembly elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday launched the ‘Mukhyamantri Gramin Awas Nyay Yojana’ (MGANY) in Bilaspur district and also slammed the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre.
Speaking at a public rally in the poll-bound state, Gandhi emphasised the need for a caste census and said that the PM “doesn’t want to make caste census data public”.
Referring to the census as the “X-ray of India”, Gandhi said it would aid in understanding the country’s demographic composition and pave the way for an inclusive development strategy.
“A caste census is like the X-ray of India. It will help us understand how many OBCs, tribals, and individuals from the general category are there in the country. Once we have this data, the nation can move forward inclusively,” Gandhi said.
Addressing the ‘Awas Nyay Sammelan’ organised by the Bhupesh Baghel government, Gandhi waved a remote control at the crowd and said the poor and needy benefited when the Congress pressed it, while ‘’Adani gets ports, airports and railway contracts’’ when the ruling BJP does the same.
“We press the button of the remote control in the open. But the BJP presses it secretly and Adaniji gets Mumbai airport – public sector becomes private… And when I questioned PM Modi on Adani in the Lok Sabha, I got the reply, my Lok Sabha membership got cancelled,” Gandhi said.
Gandhi said that the Congress government’s ‘Gramin Awas Nyay Yojna (GANY)’ is aimed at providing financial assistance to the homeless and families having kutcha houses in rural areas.
“Under the Kisan NYAY Yojana, the government disbursed input subsidies totalling Rs.21,000 crore to farmers. Landless farmers were not left behind, as they received Rs.7,000 each as annual financial assistance,” Gandhi said while elaborating on the various initiatives and promises fulfilled by the Congress government in Chhattisgarh.
Gandhi further launched 414 development and construction projects valued at Rs.669.69 crore for the Bilaspur district and participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for these initiatives.
Bilaspur division, with its eight districts and 25 assembly seats, plays a pivotal role in Assembly elections, significantly influencing the fate of Congress and BJP candidates.
In the 2018 elections, Congress secured 14 seats while BJP gained 7, and regional parties like BSP and Jogi Congress won 4 seats collectively, with Jogi Congress and BSP each clinching two seats.