Rajasthan to conduct caste-based census like Bihar, CM Ashok Gehlot announces

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday has announced that the state will conduct a caste-based census like done in Bihar. His statement came while talking to the media after a state party meeting in Jaipur.

Talking to the media, the Rajasthan CM said, “Congress leader Rahul Gandhi made the caste census system in the Raipur session of Congress, and we will do it here on the basis of the same. Rajasthan government will also conduct a caste census like Bihar. We will take the concept that there should be participation of the people as per their population. Instructions will be given to conducting caste-based census on the lines of Bihar.”

Asserting the importance of a Caste-based census, Gehlot said, "When we talk about social security, it can be implemented only when we know what the situation is caste-wise. There are different castes living in the country who do different jobs, when we know how much population each caste has, then we can make special schemes for them."

Also Read: Bihar Caste Census data released. Timeline, impact on Women Reservation Bill, all you need to know

Earlier on 2 October, the report of the caste-based survey conducted in Bihar was released by the Nitish Kumar-led Mahagathbandhan government. After the census was released, PM Modi said that the opposition party has played with the emotions of the poor and divided the country on caste lines for six decades -- a "sin" which it is committing now as well.

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Earlier, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi while addressing a rally in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh's Shajapur district also said that if his party came to power at the Centre, it would conduct a caste-based census to benefit all sections of society, particularly Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the country.

Also Read: Bihar's caste census is the Queen's Gambit of INDIA bloc against BJP-led NDA for 2024 Lok Sabha Polls

Earlier in Chhattisgarh, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday asserted if Congress is re-elected to power in the state, a caste census will be conducted in the state, similar to the one carried out in Bihar.

Also Read: Bihar caste-based census out: Extremely backward class is 36.01%, backward class 27.13%

"I announce that if Congress repeats government in Chhattisgarh, then like Bihar, we will also hold caste census in the state," Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said at a public event in poll-bound Chhattisgarh's Kanker.

The Bihar government released caste survey data showing that the Other Backward Class (OBC) and Extremely Backward Class (EBC) together account for 63 per cent of the state's population. 

(With inputs from ANI)