Maharashtra polls: Rahul Gandhi takes on Modi, RSS; reaffirms caste census | Mumbai news

NAGPUR: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi kicked off his campaign in Maharashtra, ahead of the upcoming assembly elections, from Nagpur on Wednesday, once again reaffirming his commitment to caste census. He asserted that the 50% limit on reservation will go if voted to power, giving the party its main talking point for the elections.

Soon after arrival, he visited Deekshabhoomi, the historic site where Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Indian Constitution, embraced Buddhism in 1956. Thereafter, Gandhi addressed the Samvidhan Samman Sammelan (Respecting Constitution Meeting), organised by the OBC Youth Rights Forum, in Reshambaugh.

At the forum, Gandhi said the caste census is a step towards justice and equality, and that the exercise will show the injustice meted out to Dalits, OBCs and Adivasis. He said as the RSS and BJP cannot attack the Constitution from the front, they hide behind words like ‘development’, ‘progress’ and ‘patriotism’ to carry out their agenda of inequality that ensures benefits to a few individuals at the cost of the vast majority of people.

“Caste census is just a name. The real meaning of it is nyaya (justice),” said Gandhi, who has been highlighting the need over the last few months. “When I talk about caste census, Modiji says that I am dividing the nation. But I am amplifying only a feeble voice from the deprived masses. I have heard the voice which says 90% of the population gets no benefit from the country’s resources. Only a caste census can give justice to this 90% deprived population of India,” said Gandhi.

The gathering was attended by members of around 200 civil society organisations, NGOs and social bodies that work for equal rights among people, along with Congress workers and prominent party leaders from Maharashtra.

“Modiji has been having sleepless nights ever since I raised this demand, and has accused me of dividing the country. But this is our first step to safeguard the Constitution,” he said.

He emphasised that through the Constitution, “Dr Ambedkar embodied the need for the voices and pain of millions to resonate within its pages”. He underscored that the Constitution drafted by Ambedkar is not merely a document, but a framework for life. “When individuals from the RSS and BJP attack the Constitution, they are undermining the voice of the country,” he alleged.

He also accused the BJP and RSS of scrambling to find a way out of the caste census issue, claiming they are reluctant to support it because they favour concentrating wealth and power among the top 5% of the population. He then raised questions about RSS’s financial resources, and asked, “From where does the RSS get money to maintain its extensive facilities and run institutions like Shishu Mandirs and Eklavya Vidyalayas and etc?” He suggested that funds come from BJP-run governments in states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, as well as from business tycoons Adani and Ambani.

The Congress leader continued, “You won’t find a single Dalit, OBC, or Adivasi in the Adani Group’s management. ₹16 lakh crore in debt relief is given to 25 industrialists, but when I push for farmers’ loan waivers, I’m criticised for promoting dependency.”

Responding to Gandhi’s statements, state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule accused him of opposing Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s ideals while “pretending” to protect the Constitution. Bawankule claimed that “urban Naxals” were using the event to instigate unrest and questioned why Gandhi’s event was a closed-door one, especially so close to the November 20 state elections.

Madhya Pradesh minister and BJP election in-charge for Nagpur district, Kailash Vijayvargiya, called Gandhi a “nautankibaaz” (actor) and labelled the Samvidhan Sammelan “hypocritical” and at odds with the true spirit of constitutional protection.