His comments came within hours of the government announcing that caste enumeration would be included in the forthcoming census exercise in a "transparent" manner
While reiterating the demand for removing the 50 per cent cap on reservations, Rahul Gandhi said funds should be allocated for the caste census. PIC/PTI
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said he welcomes the government's "sudden" decision to include caste enumeration in the forthcoming census after "11 years of opposing it" but demanded that a timeline be decided for its implementation, news agency PTI reported.
His comments came within hours of the government announcing that caste enumeration would be included in the forthcoming census exercise in a "transparent" manner.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, the former Congress president said, "We support this [government's decision] completely but we want a timeline. We want to know by when it will be done. This is the first step and Telangana is a model for caste census."
While reiterating the demand for removing the 50 per cent cap on reservations, Gandhi said funds should be allocated for the caste census.
"We want people's census, not bureaucrats' census," he added.
Opposition parties, including the Congress, have been demanding a nationwide caste census, making it a major election issue. Some states such as Bihar, Telangana and Karnataka have already conducted such surveys.
PM must act strongly, not dilly-dally: Rahul Gandhi on Pahalgam terror attack
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Wednesday that those responsible for the Pahalgam terror attack must pay the price for what they have done and Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi must act strongly now and not dilly dally on the action.
Addressing the media at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in the national capital, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said those behind the Pahalgam terror attack must also be made to realise they cannot do this to India.
Urging PM Modi to take action and not dilly-dally, Gandhi said that the government has the Opposition's 100 per cent support.
"The prime minister has to take action. Action has to be clear and strong. The prime minister must not dilly dally and needs to act. He can act in whatever time frame he thinks necessary," Gandhi said.
Noting that people have been killed in cold-blooded manner in Pahalgam, he stated that the PM should not waste time and must act now to tell them that India is not going to tolerate this kind of nonsense.
"People have been killed in a cold-blooded manner, and it is pretty clear who is responsible for this. The people who are responsible for this must pay the price. The Prime Minister must take decisive and strong action without delay or confusion," he said, noting that the action has to be clear and strong and without any confusion.
(With PTI inputs)
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