Asserting that a caste census would ensure “participation of OBCs, Dalits, tribals and women”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said his party would conduct the exercise if it was voted to power.
“Caste census has to be conducted if we want to give participation to Other Backward Classes, Dalits, tribals and women. If [Prime Minister Narendra] Modiji does not conduct a caste census, then when we are elected to power our first step will be to conduct a caste census to ensure OBC participation,” Mr. Gandhi said in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur where he was addressing the State government’s Awas Nyay Sammelan in Parsada village.
Like the rest of mainland India, OBCs are predominant in the central plains of Chhattisgarh, i.e. the areas beyond the tribal zones of Sarguja and Bastar where a major chunk of the Assembly segments fall. Referring to caste census as the X ray of Hindustan, Mr. Gandhi pointed out that only three or 5% of the 90 secretaries in the Central government who deal with policy and the money allocation were from the backward communities.
