On Friday, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot made a crucial remark as he announced that the state government will also conduct caste-based census if voted back to power in the upcoming assembly elections. His statement came days after the RJD-JDU-Congress Alliance in the state of Bihar released the caste-based census data and made it a national issue.
While talking to the press in Jaipur, CM Ashok Gehlot said, “Similar to the caste census in Bihar, we will conduct a caste census in Rajasthan. We’ll implement the concept where reservation allocation will be based on caste-wise participation,” as quoted by PTI.
He further added, “Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had made the caste census system in the Raipur session of Congress, and we will do it here on the basis of the same,” as quoted by ANI.
Previously, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also announced caste-based census in poll-bound state Madhya Pradesh while addressing a rally Shajapur district. Similarly, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also assured the caste-census (similar to Bihar) in Chhattisgarh. Well, Congress is all set to make caste-based census a core issue in the upcoming state elections and later in 2024 general elections to gather Other Backward Classes (OBCs) section.
Earlier on October 2, the Mahagathbandhan government in Bihar released the data of caste-based census that revealed Bihar’s current population, is 13,07,25,310, of which OBCs are 3,54,63,936 (27%) and EBCs are 4,70,80,514 (36%).
