Bhopal, Oct 9 (PTI) The Congress was spreading lies and misleading people on the caste census issue, Union Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Monday.
Asserting that the Congress’ track record was poor on the issue and its guarantees had turned out to be lies, Yadav claimed the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) were with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
After a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) during the day, Rahul Gandhi had said his party had taken a “historic decision” unanimously to support the idea of a nationwide caste census, asserting it was a “powerful step” for the emancipation of the poor.
“This is one more lie of the Congress. India is touching great heights in the world, so our OBC community is most proud of this. Therefore, I would like to tell Rahul Gandhi to stop the politics of lies, stop seeing false dreams and recognise the reality of the country,” Yadav told reporters.
Yadav, who is the BJP’s election in charge for Madhya Pradesh, claimed then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had opposed the Mandal Commission report when it was introduced in the Parliament.
The Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change also alleged the 1950s Kaka Kalelkar report on backward classes was suppressed by the Congress, which did not implement it.
When Rahul Gandhi was Congress president and Manmohan Singh was the prime minister, the demand to set up a constitutional body for OBCs was shelved, Yadav added.
“If Rahul Gandhi loves OBCs so much, then he should say why youth from the community did not get reservation in jobs between 1950 and 1992. He should see his own track record before saying anything,” Yadav said.
Yadav said the BJP believed in social harmony and social justice and claimed the Congress was shocked to see that all sections of society were progressing under the Narendra Modi government. PTI