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Alleging that the caste survey conducted by the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar was an exercise to befool the people, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said his party will stick to its demand for caste census as such an initiative is essential to plan development work in the country.
Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, also accused the BJP and the RSS of "undermining the Constitution and neglecting marginalised communities" in the country.
He also alleged that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's 'true independence' remark was "against the country's Constitution".
Addressing 'Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan' at Bapu Sabhagar here, Gandhi said, "Dalits, minorities and socially marginalised people comprise 90 per cent population of this country but they are not part of the system....This is the reason that we have been demanding caste census." He also claimed, "I have categorically told leaders in Parliament, in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji, that our party will get this passed at any cost." Gandhi said a caste census across the country is "important to find out how much participation OBCs, Dalits and workers have in the bureaucracy and other sectors".
"The aim of the caste census is not just to know about the count of various castes but their participation in the country's wealth as well...We don't want a caste survey like the Bihar government did. The exercise which the Bihar government had done was just to befool people," the Congress leader alleged.
He also claimed that the 50 per cent cap on reservations for people belonging to SCs, STs and OBCs is "not enough".
"We will increase the cap for the benefit of the majority of the people. A few select organisations, including RSS and its people, industrial houses are running the country," he claimed.
The country's Constitution is "not just a book" but "talks about atrocities and difficulties faced by Dalits", he said.
Speaking on RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's 'true independence' remark, Gandhi alleged, "His remark about India's true independence after the Ram temple consecration is against the Constitution. The BJP and the RSS are undermining the Constitution and neglecting marginalised communities." He also said the political fight is on between "those who want to save the Constitution and ones who are spreading hatred".
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by News Agency staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)