Nagpur : Asserting and reaffirming his position on the ‘caste census’, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi said that the actual name of the caste census was justice and it will set a new paradigm of development in the country.
Speaking at the Samvidhan Samman Sammelan here on Wednesday, Gandhi said that come what may, he will ensure that the caste census is carried out in the country and the 50% bar on the reservations is removed.
The Leader of Opposition maintained that the caste census was important because 90 percent of the population of this country had practically no say in the power and owned no wealth, both of power and wealth were being controlled by a select few people.
He said that once the caste census is carried out, every Dalit, every OBC, every Adivasi, every member of the minority class, the poor from the general caste and the women will come to know how much resources they own and how much power they have.
Quoting an economist who told him that India was among the countries with most inequality, Gandhi suggested it was because of caste discrimination. He said, it is not being felt by those from the general castes, but is very much felt everyday by people belonging to the Dalit, the backward or the Adivasi communities.
Countering Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s charge that he (Rahul) by seeking caste census was trying to divide the country, Rahul Gandhi said, he only wanted to tell the 90 percent of the country’s people where they stood in terms of owning wealth or having control over power and resources.
At the same time, he disclosed that even the RSS/BJP had realised the importance of caste census and they were now brainstorming as to what position they should take on this issue.
Asserting his resolve to protect and defend the constitution, he said, it represented thousands of years old values and the ‘thought’ of the country. He said, it may have been written after independence, but it represents the thoughts of great men like Buddha and Ashoka.
Reiterating his charge that the RSS and the BJP were trying to attack the constitution, he said, they were doing it secretly as they do not have the courage to do it openly. He said they were subverting various constitutional institutions, which was an attack on the constitution itself.
Gandhi said they were using different words and phrases like “vikas”, “pragati” and “samman”, which was limited to a few people. He pointed out, what does it mean to a person who has no wealth, no resources, no power, no money to survive. “Give them money and empower them, everything else will follow”, he remarked.
Maintaining that the people from “90 percent” population who include the Dalits, the OBCs, the Adivasis, the minorities and the poor from the general castes had been excluded from the corporates, judiciary, hospitals and educational institutions, he remarked, they can be found doing manual labour, working on roads and constructing big buildings, from which they do not get any benefit themselves.
