New Delhi:
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for stressing the need for a caste census, a day after the Rae Bareli MP said the exercise will help bring out the “truth of inequality and discrimination” in the country.
“At the Kumbh Mela, no one asked about caste. No one insulted anyone. No one got dengue or malaria. No one pelted stones at one another. Despite understanding the strength of Sanatan Dharma, you still choose to talk about caste?” BJP MP Dinesh Sharma said.
“You (Gandhi) have lost. The more you will ask, the more you will lose,” he added, referring to the Congress’s loss in the Lok Sabha elections last year. The Congress had promised to conduct a nationwide caste census if it was voted to power.
On Thursday evening, Mr Gandhi said a caste census is an “important step towards bringing out the truth of inequality” and alleged those opposing a caste census do not want the “truth” to be revealed.
He made the remarks in a post along with a video of his interaction with former University Grants Commission chairman and academician Sukhdeo Thorat.
98 साल पहले शुरू हुई हिस्सेदारी की लड़ाई जारी है।
20 मार्च 1927 को बाबासाहेब अंबेडकर ने महाड़ सत्याग्रह के ज़रिए जातिगत भेदभाव को सीधी चुनौती दी थी। यह केवल पानी के अधिकार की नहीं, बल्कि बराबरी और सम्मान की लड़ाई थी।
जाने-माने शिक्षाविद, अर्थशास्त्री, दलित विषयों के जानकार और… pic.twitter.com/nTPznvxS9c
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 20, 2025
“I had a detailed discussion with Prof Thorat, a well-known academician, economist, expert on Dalit issues and member of the study committee on caste census in Telangana, on the Mahad Satyagraha and the ongoing struggle of Dalits for access to administration, education, bureaucracy and resources,” the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said in the post in Hindi.
On March 20, 1927, Ambedkar had directly challenged caste discrimination through the Mahad Satyagraha, Mr Gandhi said. “It was not just a fight for the right to water, but for equality and respect. This fight for ‘rightful share’, which began 98 years ago, is still going on,” he said.
In his interaction with Mr Thorat, the Congress MP spoke about the importance of the Mahad Satyagraha and the struggle of Dalits for access to governance, education, bureaucracy and resources.
The Congress leader also criticised the country’s merit-based system, calling it “deeply flawed” and “unfair” towards Dalits, Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and tribals. “There is a completely flawed concept of merit where I confuse my social position with my capability. For anyone to say that our education system or bureaucratic entry systems are fair to Dalits, OBCs, and tribals is a complete fallacy because they are culturally disconnected from these institutions,” he said.
The merit system is based on an “upper-caste narrative”, he said.
