PM Modi talks about OBCs but is afraid of caste census: Rahul Gandhi

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Monday again made a strong pitch for the caste census. Speaking at Awaas Nyay Sammelan in Bilaspur in poll bound Chhattisgarh, Gandhi said PM Narendra Modi claims that he is a well-wisher of OBCs, but does not conduct caste census.

Highlighting that it was the Congress-led UPA government that conducted a caste census in 2011, Rahul said, “It [caste census] has data of people of every caste, but Modi ji does not show that data to the people. PM Modi always talks about OBC. But out of 90 secretaries who run the government of India, only three are from backward classes and those three control only five per cent of the budget of India.”

Reading out the welfare schemes launched by the Bhupesh Baghel government in Chhattisgarh, Rahul explained that the Congress party runs its government for the poor, adivasi, Dalits and OBCs, but the BJP runs a government for corporates.

“When Narendra Modi ji presses the remote control button, Adani gets the contract of Mumbai airport and Indian Railways. If we press the button, the farmer gets money in his account, English medium schools are established. If BJP presses the button, the public sector gets privatised, your water, forests and land are handed over to Adani,” he said.  

Earlier, speaking at Pratidin Media Conclave on Sunday, Gandhi took a jibe at Gautam Adani, and termed him a “friendly monopolist” created by the BJP for personal gains.

“The BJP has basically created a friendly monopolist. His name is Adani, a name I assume you've heard. They have created this gentleman and are essentially handing over the key industries of our country to this gentleman and he controls a significant chunk of the media in this country. There are other monopolists, but this is the main man,” he said.

"When I asked him (PM Modi) what is your relationship with Adani, my Lok Sabha membership was suspended," Gandhi added

“There is a massive concentration of wealth that this gentleman (Adani) has and there is a huge amount of money that the BJP is generating from this. There is media control, there is financial control. Please go and ask any businessman in India what happens to them if they support an Opposition party,” Gandhi added.

There are a total of eight districts and 25 assembly seats in the Bilaspur division. In 2018, Congress won 14 seats, BJP won 7, and the BSP and Ajit Jogi Congress won two seats each.