The Congress will conduct a nationwide caste census if voted to energy and implement 33% quota for girls in nationwide and state legislatures on the earliest, the social gathering’s highest decision-making physique introduced on Monday, with senior chief Rahul Gandhi saying a caste-based headcount was a progressive and highly effective step to emancipate poor folks.

At a gathering in New Delhi, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) additionally promised elimination of the 50% reservation cap by means of a laws to make sure reservation to OBCs, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in step with their share of inhabitants.

Also learn: ‘Incapable’: Rahul Gandhi attacks PM Modi over caste census

Addressing a press conference after the meeting, the former Congress president attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that the latter was incapable of conducting a caste census.

“The CWC has unanimously supported the idea of a caste census in the country. It is a progressive, historic and powerful step for the emancipation of the poor people in our country,” Gandhi said. Rahul Gandhi called the CWC decision “historic”, and said a caste census is the X-ray of India.Admitting that it was a mistake on the part of the Congress not to conduct a caste census when it was in power, he said, “We will accomplish what we could not achieve earlier. There is a need for this X-ray if we have to bring a new paradigm for development, where everyone gets justice.”

The press conference came hours after the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced assembly elections to five states — Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram — in what is widely seen as a virtual semifinal for the 2024 general elections.

The CWC expressed concern over the Israel-Palestine conflict and re-iterated its long-standing support for the rights of the Palestinian people to land, while calling for immediate cessation of fire and de-escalation of the situation.

The CWC also planned to implement the 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies at the earliest. The CWC also reiterated its previous demand of immediate removal of the chief minister of Manipur and imposition of President’s Rule within the state, “as the first step in resolving the crisis”.

“The Congress Working Committee (CWC) after a four-hour meeting has taken a historic decision and unanimously decided to support the idea of a caste census in the country. I think it is a very progressive and powerful step for the emancipation of the poor people in the country,” Gandhi mentioned.

During the press convention, Gandhi expressed confidence that the majority constituents of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) will assist a caste census. “There might be a few who have a slightly different position and that is fine. We are quite flexible and not fascist,” Gandhi added.

Flanked by the chief ministers of Karnataka, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh, Gandhi introduced that states dominated by the Congress will carry ahead caste census.

“We have unanimously decided that for India’s future a caste census is quintessential and we (CWC) have decided to do it and we promise that it will be done… if we make a commitment we ensure. But we will not stop at that, we will also conduct an economic survey in the country. What we have not done before, we will ensure it this time and to ensure justice to all, caste census becomes a necessity,” Gandhi mentioned.

“Our chief ministers also believe that it is a very important step and are also considering to take action on this,” he mentioned. He additionally accused the PM of working to distract the opposite backward courses (OBC) neighborhood and famous that solely one of many 10 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief ministers is OBC whereas three of the 4 Congress CMs come from the neighborhood. “PM Modi is incapable of doing the caste census… We have to ask him what has he done for OBCs? Modi never spoke a word on this…,” Gandhi alleged. “PM’s only work is to distract the OBC community and diverted their attention.”

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who chaired the assembly on the social gathering headquarters in Delhi, requested social gathering employees to work in coordination, self-discipline and unity and put in all may to win the elections in 5 poll-bound states. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Monday mentioned she was “100%” in assist of the caste census.

“I am 100% with the caste census, we must get it done. This is our highest priority,” an individual accustomed to the event quoted Gandhi as saying in her solely intervention through the assembly, information company PTI reported.

Mizoram, the smallest of the poll-bound states with 40 seats, will vote on November 7. Elections in Chhattisgarh, which has a 90-member meeting, shall be held in two phases on November 7 and 17. Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana will go to the polls on November 17, 23 and 30 respectively. The Congress is seeking to retain energy in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, and snatch energy in Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Mizoram.

“As we approach the upcoming assembly elections and general elections [in 2024], it is important that the party works with meticulous coordination and complete discipline and unity,” Kharge mentioned on the assembly. “Today, our nation faces inflation, unemployment, and government’s failure to implement the Old Pension Scheme. The ruling party’s divisive tactics and misuse of autonomous bodies pose a threat to democratic stability.”

Throwing his weight behind the nationwide caste census demand, the Congress chief mentioned that for a correct share in welfare schemes, you will need to have socio-economic information on the situation of weaker sections of society and guarantee social justice to them.

Kharge additionally mentioned that his social gathering would implement girls’s reservation if voted to energy within the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. He additionally requested social gathering employees to counter the “false propaganda” of the ruling BJP, saying that “attacks and falsehood would increase as elections approach”.

Reacting to the event, BJP nationwide spokesperson Syed Zafar Islam mentioned, “Rahul Gandhi and his team are misleading the nation and everyone knows that in the last 9.5 years, our government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done many things for the OBCs”.

“We made the OBC commission when Congress had not even dreamt about it. We have given them strong representation and given many seats to them… Caste census is the responsibility of the central government and it will be done at an appropriate time but the states ruled by unholy alliance are attempting to do it only to mislead the OBC community to gain some votes. But OBC community knows that they have always been neglected by the Congress and it’s the BJP government which has safe guarded their interest,” Islam mentioned in his assertion.

At the press convention, Gandhi requested for a present of palms from journalists to know what number of of them had been Dalits or OBCs to make a degree that individuals from marginalised sections didn’t get their due share.