New Delhi. The Congress on Monday reiterated its demand for a new census and caste-based data, saying that doing so would give true meaning to the social justice enshrined in the Constitution. Party general secretary Jairam Ramesh also urged the government to also provide data on the population of communities classified as Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the new census.
Ramesh posted on ‘X’, “The central government conducts a nationwide census every 10 years which is necessary for socio-economic development. According to past records, the census was to be held in 2021. But Narendra Modi has not got it done till now.” He claimed that one of the ill-effects of not conducting the census in 2021 is that at least 14 crore Indians are being deprived of the benefits of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana under the National Food Security Act, 2013.
The Congress leader said, “The Prime Minister must tell the country as soon as possible when the new census will be conducted. Since 1951, the decennial census has given data on the population of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The new census should also provide data on the population of communities classified as OBCs.” Ramesh said that this would give true meaning to the social justice enshrined in the Constitution of our republic. He said, “The Constitution has recently been saved by the people of the country from the attacks of Narendra Modi, his cheerleaders and those beating the drum for him.”
Raising Kachchatheevu issue was ‘extremely irresponsible’ move by PM: Congress
The Congress on Monday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for raising the Kachchatheevu island issue during the Lok Sabha election campaign, calling it an “extremely irresponsible” step and saying it threatened to worsen India’s ties with Sri Lanka.
Congress questioned whether Modi and his colleagues would apologise for creating such a big controversy with Sri Lanka.
Ramesh shared a post on the social media platform ‘X’ and mentioned that Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe was present at the swearing-in ceremony held on Sunday evening.
He said, “Remember the Kachchativu issue which was created by the ‘one third’ Prime Minister during the election campaign and was raised by his allies to garner support for the BJP in Tamil Nadu.” He said, “This was a very irresponsible step and seriously distorted history. This threatened to derail our relations with Sri Lanka.” Referring to the one-sided victory of the ‘Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance’ (INDIA) alliance in Tamil Nadu, Ramesh said that the people of the state gave a befitting reply.
He said, “The concerns of the fishing communities of Tamil Nadu need to be resolved amicably on a permanent basis.” Ramesh said, “Will Modi ji and his colleagues apologize for creating such a big dispute with our neighbor, especially when he claims to have a “neighbor first” policy?”
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had claimed that Congress leaders who were prime ministers in the past showed indifference towards the Kachchatheevu island and took away the rights of Indian fishermen despite legal views to the contrary. Prior to Jaishankar’s remarks, Modi had cited a media report to say that new facts have revealed that the Congress had handed over the Kachchatheevu island to Sri Lanka “insensitively”.