New Delhi : Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi today said that the entire system was working against the 90 percent population in the country.
He said, that is why ‘caste census’ was important, which will mark a paradigm shift in the development process of the nation.
Addressing the ‘Samvidhan Rakshak Abhiyan’ function at the Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi Rahul said, no matter how hard the BJP and the RSS try against it, the caste census will be carried out in the country and the fifty percent bar on reservations will be removed.
The senior Congress leader accused the BJP/RSS of trying to make the “fifty percent” wall against reservation stronger. He said, although the UPA government tried its best, it still could not achieve the desired results of “weakening the wall”, which he said, was a barrier for progress of the “90 percent population” of the country. But, he added, the RSS and the BJP were only cementing it further.
Pointing towards Rohit Vemula’s picture on the stage, Gandhi said he wanted to speak but his voice was gagged. “Every day in India, the Adivasi youth, the Dalit youth, the OBC youth dream of becoming engineers, doctors, lawyers or want to join the media or the IAS, but the reality is that the entire system in the country is up against the Adivasis, the Dalits and the Backward Classes”, he observed.
He pointed out, twenty-first century is the age of data. He said, the caste census will provide the data about the exact number of dalits, adivasis and OBCs. “The day we get the data, the paradigm of development will shift and there will be a new approach towards development in the country”, he said.
Referring to the Telangana state’s caste census, he said, the party’s policy will be based on the caste census data. He said the BJP was scared of it as it wants 4-5 percent people and a few billionaires to control India. He said, this control can be taken away from them by two ways; caste census and removing the fifty percent bar on reservations.
“Whatever the BJP and RSS do, caste census will be done and fifty percent reservation barrier will be removed”, he said, adding, “I have promised it in the Lok Sabha that we will get the caste census passed in the same Lok Sabha. We want to protect the constitution”.
Rahul Gandhi appealed to the people present at the function to spread the message of need for the caste census and removing the fifty percent bar on reservations in every nook and corner of the country. “Your message should be only that in this country, 90 percent people are subjected to injustice every day”, he told the gathering.
Taking a dig at the BJP and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi said that he could say with guarantee that Narendra Modi has not read the constitution.
