Congress Rebuts Anurag Thakur on Gandhi Family Caste, Advocates for Caste Census

The Congress party criticised the BJP-RSS on Tuesday, asserting that the Gandhi family's caste is martyrdom, a concept the ruling party will never grasp. This statement came after BJP MP Anurag Thakur's apparent questioning of Rahul Gandhi's caste.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge emphasised the party's commitment to conducting a caste census despite any casteist abuse. "Yes, I am an Indian and a Dalit, but I don't know how many we are. Yes, I am a tribal, but I don't know how many we are. Yes, I am an OBC, but I don't know how many we are. Today, we all need to assess how much our participation is in the progress of this country," he stated.

Demand for Caste Census

Kharge accused the BJP-RSS of conspiring to keep marginalised communities backward by hiding their numbers and snatching reservation rights. He said in a Hindi post on X, "The BJP-RSS believe in Manusmriti, but not even an iota on Babasaheb Ambedkar's Constitution." He further alleged that they aim to continue 5,000 years of social exploitation.

He stressed that a caste census is essential for social, economic, and political empowerment of marginalised people. "So that we can take advantage of equal opportunity and share," Kharge added. He accused the Modi government of depriving them of this right.

"Ginti Karo get a counting done is our resolution. The Indian National Congress is ready to listen to any casteist abuse, but we are determined to carry out the caste census!" Kharge declared.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's Criticism

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also criticised Thakur's remarks about Rahul Gandhi's caste in the Lok Sabha. She highlighted that a socio-economic caste census is demanded by 80 per cent of India's population. "Today, it was said in Parliament that those whose caste is not known talk about a caste census," she posted in Hindi on X.

"Will 80 per cent of India's population be abused in Parliament now?" she questioned. She urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to clarify if this happened under his direction.

Congress' Stance on Caste Census

Pawan Khera, head of Congress' media and publicity department, stated that Thakur's words about Rahul Gandhi have angered people. "The real face of the BJP has come to the fore. This mindset can only be of the BJP that such abuses are used for a person who is the son of a family of martyrs," he said in a video statement.

Khera asserted that the Congress does not seek an apology from the BJP over this issue. "The caste census will take place in the country. You can abuse the Gandhi family, Rahul Gandhi and the Congress as much as you want, but this fight will continue. Justice will be done," he affirmed.

Khera concluded by saying, "Rahul Gandhi's father is a martyr and this family's caste is martyrdom. This the RSS, the BJP and Thakur can never understand."