Pressing for a nationwide caste census, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said that no woman from Dalit, tribal or OBC communities was selected for the Miss India beauty pageant. Rahul Gandhi said that he saw the list of Miss India but there was no Dalit, tribal or OBC woman in it.
He said, “You will see in the media that they will talk about Bollywood… What is happening to you is the worst, you are being directly attacked. I took out the list of Miss India and it had a Dalit or tribal woman but there was no Dalit, tribal or OBC. Still the media talks about dance, music, cricket, Bollywood but does not talk about farmers and labourers.”
The former Congress president reiterated his demand and importance of conducting a nationwide caste census and said that 90 percent of the people of the country are outside the system and this step is necessary for them. Addressing the ‘Samvidhan Samman Sammelan’ here, Rahul Gandhi said, “90 percent of the people are sitting outside the system. They have skills and knowledge, but they do not have access (to the top), that is why we have raised the demand for caste census.” The Congress leader said, “For the Congress, caste census is the foundation of policy making.
Addressing the Samvidhaan Samman Sammelan in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, Rahul Gandhi said that 90 per cent of the population is not connected to the system despite having the necessary skills, talent and knowledge. He said, “The BJP is saying that they will conduct a caste census and include the OBC category in it… There are different communities and we want a list of all of them. For us it is not just a census, for us it is the foundation of policy making.”
