Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday (August 24) reiterated his “caste census” tune to slam the BJP-led Centre stating that he checked the “list of Miss India” but there was no mention of any woman belonging to the Dalit, tribal or OBC communities. He claimed that “90 per cent of the people are not a part of the system” which is why the Opposition is demanding the caste census, which he termed as “a foundation for policy making”. His remarks came while addressing ‘Samvidhan Samman Sammelan’ in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj.
Rahul Gandhi on “Miss India”
"...I checked the list of Miss India to see if there would be any Dalit or tribal woman in it, but there were no women from Dalit, tribal or OBC. Still the media talks about dance, music, cricket, Bollywood but does not talk about farmers and labourers,” Rahul Gandhi said.
The Congress leader, who has emphasised in the Lok Sabha that when Congress comes to power at the Centre, it will conduct the caste census, further said that only the conduct of caste census will not be enough, it is also important to know about the wealth distribution in the country.
“90% of the people are not a part of the system. They have the required skill, talent but they are not connected with the system. That's why we are demanding a caste census. BJP leaders are saying that an OBC section will be given after the caste census...We want the list of different communities. For us caste census is not just a census, it is a foundation for policy making...Just conducting a caste census is not enough, it is also important to understand how the wealth is being distributed...It is also important to find out how much is the participation of OBCs, Dalits, workers in the bureaucracy, judiciary, media?..." he said.
Will remove 50 per cent cap on reservation: Rahul Gandhi
Rahul Gandhi reiterated that he “does not accept” the 50 per cent cap on the reservation set by the Supreme Court and vowed once again to remove the limit.
“We will conduct a caste census and the 50 per cent cap on the reservation which I don't accept will be removed...First, we should have the data before us regarding the participation of different castes in various institutions...Talks of reservation are always held but they never get a chance. 'Lateral entry ho jati hai, main aapko guarantee de raha hun lateral entry mein 90% wala aapko koi nahi milega'..." he said.
(With ANI inputs)
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