vNew Delhi : Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Friday admitted that not conducting a caste census during the UPA government was a mistake, and said he is now determined to correct it.
Speaking at the 'Bhagidari Nyay Sammelan' of OBC at Talkatora Stadium in Delhi, he said he failed to understand the issues of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community earlier, unlike those of Dalits, tribals, and women, where he claimed the Congress had done commendable work.
"I think about my work, where I did well and where I fell short, and I see two to three things. Land Acquisition Bill, MNREGA, Right to Food, Tribal Bill, and Niyamgiri struggle -- all these things I did well. As far as the issues of tribals, Dalits, and women are concerned, I should get good marks there. I did good work," he said.
"One shortcoming remained in the Congress Party and my work, I didn't protect the OBC community the way I should have. The reason is that I didn't deeply understand the OBC issues at that time. Ten to fifteen years ago, I understood the difficulties faced by Dalits. Their issues are visible, they are easily understood, but the problems of OBCs remain hidden.
If I had known about your issues and problems at that time, I would have conducted a caste-based census right then. That was my mistake, which I am going to correct," he said, adding that in a way, it's good that it happened, because if I had conducted a caste-based census back then, it wouldn't have been like it is today.
He added that Dalits, backwards classes, tribals, and minorities make up 90 per cent of the country's population, yet remain excluded from key decision-making processes, including the Union Budget.
"In the country, the population of Dalits, backwards classes, tribals, and minorities together constitutes about 90 per cent. But when the halwa was being distributed after the budget was prepared, there was no one from this 90 per cent population present. The 90 per cent population of the country is the productive force. You are the ones making the halwa, but they are the ones eating it. We are not saying that they shouldn't eat the halwa, but at the very least, you should get some too," he said.
He also stated that he is fully committed to conducting a caste-based census and will not back down from it, emphasising that it is only the first step. His larger goal is to ensure that people's work receives respect and equal participation in the country.
"You should ask my sister Priyanka whether, if Rahul has made up his mind for a task, will he let go of that matter or not? I am not going to let go. Caste-based census is just the first step; my goal is to ensure that your work gets respect and participation in India," he added.