[ad_1]
By India Today News Desk: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanded a Caste Census that is “up-to-date”. He also said that the Caste Census should be made an integral part of the yet-to-be published 2021 Census.
Kharge’s letter came after party leader Rahul Gandhi, at a rally in poll-bound Karnataka, asked the Prime Minister to make the 2011 caste-based census data public.
In the letter dated April 16, a copy of which was posted by Kharge on his Twitter handle, he wrote, “My letter to the Prime Minister demanding the publication of the Socio-Economic Caste Census. Regular decennial Census was to be carried out in 2021 but it has not been conducted. We demand that it be done immediately and that a comprehensive Caste Census be made its integral part.”
Kharge highlighted that several opposition leaders, including those from the Congress, had raised the demand for the Caste Census in Parliament multiple times.
“You are aware that for the first time, the UPA Government conducted a Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) during 2011-12 covering some 25 crore households. For a number of reasons, however, the caste data could not get published even though Congress and other MPs demanded its release after your government came to power in May 2014,” the Congress chief said.
ALSO READ | Why Stalin and his Opposition friends are batting for nationwide caste census
“In the absence of an updated caste census, I am afraid a reliable data base so very essential for meaningful social justice and empowerment programmes, particularly for OBCs, is incomplete. This census is the responsibility of the Union Government,” he stated.
Kharge further said, “I would also like to point out that the regular decennial Census was to be carried out in 2021 but it has not yet been conducted. We demand that it be done immediately and that a comprehensive Caste Census be made its integral part.”
ALSO READ | Modi govt talks lot about democracy but does not walk the talk: Mallikarjun Kharge
RAHUL GANDHI ATTACKS PM OVER CASTE CENSUS
At the Kolar rally, Rahul Gandhi on Sunday asked PM Modi to make the 2011 caste-based census data public and demanded the lifting of the 50 per cent cap on reservations.
He stated that the people of the country should be informed about the percentage of OBCs, Dalits, and Adivasis.
“Prime Minister, you talk of OBCs. Make that data public. Let the nation know how many OBCs, Dalits and tribals are there in the country,” Rahul Gandhi said.
Rahul Gandhi added that the Prime Minister should release the data and implement reservations based on the caste census if he was genuinely concerned about the welfare of OBCs and SC/STs.
“Otherwise, it would be akin to the Prime Minister insulting the OBCs, Dalits, and Adivasi people,” he said.
ALSO READ | Row over third gender denoted as ‘caste’ in Bihar census
The Congress leader asserted that his party should aim to win at least 150 seats in the poll-bound southern state, so that the next government is not “stolen” by a corrupt BJP.
“We have to win the election with 150 seats because the BJP is a corrupt outfit. The BJP has a huge amount of money that they have stolen from the people of Karnataka and they will attempt to steal the next government as well,” he said.
Karnataka, which has 224 Assembly seats, is scheduled to go to polls on May 10. Results will be declared on May 13.
[ad_2]
