Jaipur, Nov 16 (IANS): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday addressed election meetings in Taranagar in Churu and Nohar in Hanumangarh and said that the party would start a caste census in the country as soon as the Congress forms a government at the Centre.
Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi said, “Narendra Modi ji says ‘Modi's guarantee’. Modi's guarantee means Adani's guarantee. Congress means government of farmers, labourers and the youth. This is the difference. Narendra Modi's guarantee is that Adani ji's government will be formed and will be run by him while our guarantee is that the government will be run by farmers, labourers, backward classes, Dalits and tribals.”
Rahul Gandhi said, “We transfer money into the pockets of the poor. They put it in Adani ji's pocket. We put it in your pocket. The Congress party will conduct a caste census survey in Rajasthan. As soon as the Congress government comes to power in India, we will start the caste census that day. As long as there is a backward population, we will hand over that many rights to the backward people of India, the backbone of India.”
“Wherever BJP leaders go, they spread hatred. They will make one caste fight with another caste. However, the Congress party does the treatment and opens ‘mohabbat ki dukan’ in their market of hatred. Five lakh families have benefited from the Old Pension Scheme. We have opened 3,600 English medium schools, 309 new colleges and nine new universities,” he added.
Rahul Gandhi also counted seven guarantees of the Congress and said, “We have given you seven guarantees in the elections. First Rs 10,000 annually will go to one woman in every family. A cylinder worth Rs 500 for poor people will be provided, insurance of Rs 15 lakh, English medium schools for all children, free laptops for those studying in government colleges and then we will make it a law for legal guarantee of OPS for government employees. Also we will buy cow dung from the village people at Rs 2 per kg.”
He asked the crowd at the rally if they wanted a government of Adani or of farmers and labourers?
“The government has done a lot of work for you here. OPS has been given to people. You remember one thing, if the BJP Government comes, whatever we have done for you, be it pension scheme, health scheme, gas cylinder of Rs 500, giving Rs 10,000 to women every year, the BJP will end all this and help the billionaires. If the Congress government comes, the poor will benefit. Farmers will benefit. Farmers' loans will be waived off. Small traders will benefit. This is for you to decide. Do you want Adani's government or do you want a government of farmers, labourers and the youth,” he asked.
He added that Modi says there is only one caste in this country and that is the poor. “You must have heard Narendra Modi's speech these days. Earlier in his speeches he used to say that friends, I am OBC. I belong to a backward caste.
“I talked about a caste census and gave a speech in the Parliament saying that there should be a caste census in this country. What is caste census? I want to tell you today. No one can tell how many people of OBC category are there in this country today. This is a conspiracy to not tell you your true population. At least the OBC population in this country is 50 per cent. Understand your power. I asked a question to Narendra Modi in the Parliament that you call yourself OBC, you won the elections by calling yourself OBC. I said, Modi ji, tell me how many OBCs there are in this country? His answer is there is only one caste in this country and that is the poor. Meaning, neither OBC, nor Dalit, nor tribal, no caste at all in India. When the time comes to give OBCs their rights, they say that there is no caste,” he stressed.