Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday said the Congress Working Committee (CWC) -- the party's highest decision making body -- has unanimously decided in favour of caste-based census and the party-led governments in states will hold the exercise.
Addressing a press conference here at the party headquarters, Gandhi said, "We discussed caste census for four hours. We have a historic discussion. It was a unanimous decision. No one in the meeting was there who opposed it."
He said that the Chief Ministers (Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot) sitting here have also said that they will take the caste census forward in the states.
It is worth to be noted that Rajasthan on Saturday night announced to hold the caste based survey.
To a question if Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) parties are together and will they support the caste-based census, he said, "The Congress has decided that it will wholeheartedly support the caste census and force the BJP to hold the caste census and if they fail then they should go as the country wants it and we will do it after coming to power."
"Most of the INDIA parties support it. There might be a few who have slightly different opinions. But I am confident that the vast majority will support it. We are not fascist force and will not force them," he said.
To a question about Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing the Congress of dividing the country, he said, "The Prime Minister is making unconnected statements. The Prime Minister is incapable of doing caste-based census. Congress has four Chief Ministers, out of that three are OBCs, while BJP has 10 CMs, and they have one OBC which will not be there after elections in Madhya Pradesh."
He said, "The Prime Minister did not utter a single word after what I mentioned in Parliament that out of 90 only three are OBC officers.
"The Prime Minister should say that we will release the caste-based census and he should say that the next census will be caste based. But he does not have the guts. He has created a distraction system. PM Modi is the main instrument and they only want to divert the issue," he added.