Rajnath Singh attacks Rahul Gandhi for caste census promise, says Cong misleads people

Ranchi: Hitting out at Rahul Gandhi for promising of caste census if Congress is voted to power, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday accused the party of misleading people and wondered why it did not carry out the exercise when the grand old party ruled the country.

Addressing an election rally in Jharkhand's Khunti, Singh also alleged that the law and order situation in the state has gone from bad to worse because of infiltration from Bangladesh under the patronisation of the JMM-led government.

“In 2011, a socio-economic caste census was conducted in which around 46 lakh castes, sub-castes and gotras were found. This number was so huge that the report was not even made public at that time. According to the social welfare ministry, there were around 1200 Scheduled Castes (SC), over 750 Scheduled Tribes (ST) and around 2,500 Other Backward Classes (OBCs),” the veteran BJP leader said.

Referring to Rahul Gandhi, Singh said that a Congress leader is misleading people by claiming to conduct a caste census if the party forms government.

“Who the Congress wants to benefit by opening this caste box. I want to ask Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge about the party's blueprint for the welfare of thousands of castes. What arrangements will it make for reservation for different castes? It all should be made public,” the union minister said.

He also wondered why the Congress did not conduct the caste census when it was in power at the Centre.

The Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during election rallies in Jharkhand on Friday and Saturday promised that they would ensure caste census if voted to power.

Singh further alleged that Bangladeshi infiltration is on the rise in Jharkhand.

“I want to ask JMM, Congress and RJD leaders why infiltrators are coming to Jharkhand. Why did the state's tribal population shrink to 28 per cent from 52 per cent?” he said.

He alleged that the situation turned so bad in Jharkhand that even 'Saraswati Vandana' is prevented and stone pelting takes place during festivals.

“The poison of communalism is spreading rapidly here,” he said.

Singh alleged that the JMM-led government was neck-deep in corruption and its leaders cheated the tribal community to fill their pockets.

He appealed to the people to oust the JMM-led coalition government from Jharkhand and bring the BJP-headed NDA into power.

At another rally in Chatra, he claimed that the BJP would form governments in Jharkhand as well as in Maharashtra.