Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said in Prayagraj on Saturday that no woman from Dalit, Adivasi or OBC community is included in the list of Miss India. He reiterated the importance of conducting caste census and said that it is not just a census but the basis for policy making.
‘Caste census is the basis of policy making’
Addressing the Samvidhan Samman Sammelan in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, Rahul Gandhi said, ’90 percent of the people are not part of the system. They have skills, talent, knowledge but they have no connection with the system. This is why we are demanding caste census. BJP leaders are saying that OBC section will be given after caste census. We want a list of different communities.’
He said, ‘For us, caste census is not just a census, it is the basis of policy making. Just conducting caste census is not enough, it is important to understand how wealth is being distributed in the country. It is also important to find out what is the participation of OBCs, Dalits and workers in bureaucracy, judiciary, media?’
‘There is no dalit, tribal woman in Miss India’s list’
Rahul Gandhi said, ‘I checked the list of Miss India and found that there was no Dalit, tribal or OBC woman in it. Yet the media talks about dance, music, cricket, Bollywood but does not talk about farmers and laborers.’
Lok Sabha elections Congress had promised in its manifesto that if its party comes to power, a nationwide socio-economic caste census will be conducted to count the castes, sub-castes and their socio-economic conditions.
Financial survey was promised
Addressing an election rally in April, Rahul Gandhi had also said that if the Congress forms the government at the Centre, it will conduct a financial and institutional survey to find out the distribution of wealth among the people in the country. However, PM Modi had targeted Rahul Gandhi’s promise and alleged that the Congress wants to distribute the country’s wealth among ‘infiltrators’ and ‘those who have more children’.