Congress leader Kumari Selja on Monday (August 26) vowed to conduct a caste census in Haryana if her party is voted to power in the Assembly Elections in the state slated on October 1. In a statement, the Congress general secretary and Sirsa MP claimed that 74 per cent of the country's people have endorsed the demand for a caste-based census.
"The BJP, which is anti-Dalit and anti-reservation, should stop dreaming of blocking this. Once the Congress forms the government in the state, a caste-based census will be conducted," Selja said.
Haryana will go to polls on October 1 and the Congress is eyeing to wrest power from the BJP.
Rahul Gandhi’s demand for caste census
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had on Sunday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fulfil the nation's demand for a caste census immediately, otherwise he would see the next PM do it.
No power can stop a nationwide caste census, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha had said on X in Hindi, tagging a post by the Congress on a "mood of the nation poll" by a media group which said 74 per cent of people in August said a caste census must be conducted, up from the 59 per cent in February this year.
Rahul Gandhi's remarks came a day after he pressed the demand for a nationwide caste census and said 90 per cent of the people in the country were sitting out of the system and the step should be taken in their interest.
He also said that for the Congress, the "caste census" is the foundation and a tool for policy-making.
(With PTI inputs)
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