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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that the party will demolish the wall that is restricting reservation to 50 per cent for the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Schedule Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) while pushing for a caste census across the country.
“In Telangana, 90 per cent of the population consists of OBCs, extremely backward classes, Dalits, extremely marginalised Dalits, minorities, and Adivasis. But if you look at Telangana’s corporate sector, check the list of owners, CEOs, and senior management, you won’t find a single person from this 90 percent population segment,” Gandhi said at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) session in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
“There is almost no participation of this 90 per cent in Telangana’s corporate sector…I am happy that immediately after the caste census, our Chief Minister and our team in Telangana increased the OBC reservation to 42 per cent,” Gandhi said.
Rahul, the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said he had asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Parliament to conduct a caste census.
“I wanted to know who had what share in this country and whether this country truly respected the tribal, Dalit, and backward communities,” he said.
Gandhi said that PM Modi and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the idealogical mentor of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) refused the caste census because they don’t want to reveal the share that minorities get in this country.
“I told him that we would pass the caste census law in the Parliament right before you,” he said.
Ahmedabad in Gujarat will also host the 84th National Convention of theAll India Congress Committee(AICC) on April 8-9. This is the first time in 64 years that the event is being held in Gujarat – a state the party has not won in 30 years.
“We will break the wall of 50 per cent reservation. What Telangana has done, we are going to do across the country,” he said.
“Waqf Act is an attack on freedom of religion”
Gandhi also said that the new Waqf Act is an attack on freedom of religion and is anti-Constitution. Citing an article in an RSS-linked magazine, Gandhi alleged that the BJP and RSS have set their sights now on the rights of Christians, and Sikhs would be next.
Gandhi also said that District Congress Committees and their chiefs would be empowered and strengthened so that they act as the foundation of the organisation going forward.
Gandhi alleged that the RSS’ ideology is against the Constitution and “they want to control all institutions in the country”. He told party leaders that the fight is for the Constitution and it is not easy.
“They have everything at their disposal but we have truth and the love of the people on our side,” Gandhi said.
