Rahul Gandhi
Credit: X/@RahulGandhi
Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday raised the election pitch for Congress dubbing Madhya Pradesh the BJP 'laboratory' for corruption and increasing the decibel level on caste census, emphasising that when the union government spends Rs 100, ‘adivasis’ could take decision only on just 10 paisa.
Addressing an election rally in tribal-dominated Beohari in Shahdol, the first after the election schedule for five states were announced on Monday, he claimed that PM Modi will speak on Pakistan, Afghanistan and south India among others in order to “distract” people from real issues and not on caste census.
Fresh from the Congress Working Committee (CWC) endorsement for his caste census pitch, Gandhi reiterated the party’s commitment to conduct the exercise and put pressure on the BJP to do it.
“If the BJP does not do it, move out of the government. We will do it,” he said.
Referring to just three union government Secretaries from OBCs out of 90, he said, “officers from the OBCs, which are over 50 per cent of the population, decide on only 5 per cent of what is spent by the Indian government. Adivasi officers are deciding only on 10 paisa when the government is spending Rs 100. This is a matter of shame. We are going to change this.”
The first thing Congress government in Madhya Pradesh will do is conducting the caste census, Rahul said. He added that the party has decided only to announce things which can be delivered.
“Caste census is an X-Ray and which we will carry out. I challenge Modiji to do this X-Ray,” he said.
“We challenged PM Modi to release the data of the caste census conducted by Congress. But instead of talking about it, he talks about Pakistan, Afghanistan and south India. Speak on caste census,” he said.
Referring to veteran BJP leader L K Advani’s remarks that MP is BJP-RSS’ laboratory, he said the state is actually the saffron party’s laboratory for 'scams' like medical treatment, Vyapam, mid-day meal, school uniforms, and atrocities against tribals and women.
“In 18 years of BJP rule in Madhya Pradesh, 18,000 farmers have died by suicide. Everyday, three farmers take their own lives. Privatisation and contractualistion is everywhere. In the BJP laboratory, its leader urinates on ‘adivasis’,” he added.
He also claimed that after he raised the issue, Modi has stopped using the term ‘vanvasi’ to describe tribals.
“But in his heart, he still calls them ‘vanvasi’,” Gandhi said as he once again ignited the adivasi-vanvasi debate.
He said, none of the Congress leaders describe tribals as ‘vanvasis’.
“We call them adivasis because they have the first right on land and resources. When you use ‘vanvasi’, they lose that right,” he said.