After the release of caste census in Bihar, Rahul said – it is important to know the caste statistics of the country.
New Delhi (IANS). Hours after the Bihar government released the caste-based census, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday once again reiterated his demand that more the population, more the rights.
He said the census has revealed that OBCs, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (STs) constitute 84 per cent in the state and hence it is important to know the caste statistics of India.
Rahul Gandhi wrote on Twitter, “Bihar’s caste census has shown that OBC (Other Backward Classes), SC and ST constitute 84 percent there. “Out of 90 secretaries of the central government, only three are OBCs, who handle just five per cent of India’s budget.”
The Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad, Kerala said, “Therefore, it is important to know the caste statistics of India. “The more population, the more rights – this is our pledge.”
His comments come after the Bihar government released the much-awaited caste-based survey on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary.
Even Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X, “The Bihar government has recently released the results of the caste survey conducted by it in the state.”
Ramesh said, “Welcoming the initiative and noting that similar surveys have been conducted by Congress governments in the past in Karnataka and other states, the Indian National Congress reiterates its demand that the Central Government conduct a national caste census at the earliest.
“In fact, the UPA-2 government had completed this census but its results were not published by the Modi government. “Such a census has become necessary to provide a strong foundation for social empowerment programs and deepen social justice.”
According to the report, the population of Bihar is more than 13 crore, of which Extremely Backward Classes (EBC) are 36.01 percent, Other Backward Classes (OBC) are 27 percent, Scheduled Castes are 19.65 percent, Scheduled Tribes are 1.68 percent, while upper castes are 15.52 percent.
Among the backward classes, the population of Yadavs is 14.26 percent while Kushwaha and Kurmi are 4.27 percent and 2.87 percent respectively.
The caste-based survey was passed in both houses of the Bihar legislature last year and agreed to by all political parties.