Caste census: Cong’s ‘big win’ posters don Capital, credit Rahul Gandhi

The Congress on Thursday put banners across the national capital while taking up the credit for the government’s move to announce caste enumeration — the cause the grand old party has been championing for around a decade now since the takeover of BJP-led government at the Centre.

The ‘caste census’ has been at the core of the Congress’ politics for quite some time with the party claiming that the move will bring in “social justice” in the country. The last caste census in India has been conducted before Independence in 1931.

“I had said that Modi ji had to hold caste census. We will make him to do it,” reads the banner written in Hindi. “The world bows, we need the one who makes that happen,” the poster also mentions, apparently written in praise of Leader of Opposition and party leader Rahul Gandhi.

Along with large-size picture of Rahul, the banner has also got pictures of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Working Committee chairperson Sonia Gandhi, party leaders Priyanka Gandhi, KC Venugopal, DK Shivkumar, Siddaramiah and KC Allavaru. It also has got picture of the party leader Srinivas BV at left corner.

“The BJP wants to puncture Congress’ caste census issue. However, it is not so easy. It is our turf. They (BJP) has been totally against it since the word go. By announcing that we are going to hold census at a time when the country wants to avenge Pahalgam butchers, the country’s public is intelligent enough to understand when they did it,” senior Congress leader told The Tribune.

The leader said in the coming days the party had decided to continuously highlight caste census matter and announce it to the country that it was only due to “Rahul’s untiring efforts” that government “succumbed” to pressure.

Another leader from the party told The Tribune that the caste census is a “brainchild” of the Congress of which the BJP has been “opposite” to it. “It doesn’t suit them. The RSS doesn’t want it. Why and timing they chose is something perplexing. It is obvious. However, within the party we have decided that we won’t let the BJP to take the credit for what has been our fight.”

“In the coming days, you are going to see that we are going to highlight it,” said the leader. He said in the next monsoon Parliament session, the Congress is going to take this caste census issue “forcefully”.

Delhi