BJP Cites Past Congress Govts' Stand On Caste Census To Accuse Rahul Gandhi Of Hypocrisy

BJP sources on Wednesday cited the critical stance of previous Congress governments on the issue of caste census to accuse Rahul Gandhi of "hypocrisy" after the Congress leader came out strongly in support of the census demand in a bid to corner the ruling party.

Congress leader and then Union minister Ajay Maken had written in 2010 to then Rajya Sabha MP Ali Anwar that a decision to "discourage community distinction" based on caste was taken keeping in view the spirit of the secular state enshrined in the Preamble of the Constitution of India, BJP sources noted.

In 2018, the then Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah did not publish the findings of a caste-based census before the state assembly elections, they said. They added that Rajiv Gandhi had hit out at the V P Singh government during a debate in Parliament in 1990 for implementing the Mandal Commission, which had recommended reservation for the Other Backward Classes.

Gandhi has termed it as an attempt to divide the country on caste lines and alleged that it was not very different from what the Britishers had done, the sources said. In 2010, a Group of Ministers headed by Pranab Mukherjee had never reached a conclusion on the issue of caste census as many senior Congress leaders were against such a census, BJP sources said.

They also cited the country's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru's stand against caste census and noted that Indira Gandhi followed by Rajiv Gandhi had put the Mandal Commission on the back burner when they were in power.

The BJP has so far not taken an official stand on the issue of caste census, a demand first raised by regional parties like the RJD and the JD(U) and then supported by most other opposition parties.

The BJP had supported a unanimous resolution passed by the Bihar assembly in the support of the caste census when it was a partner to the government headed by Janata Dal (United) leader and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.