NEW DELHI: The Janata Dal (United) on Sunday accused Rahul Gandhi of hypocrisy on the caste census issue, alleging that he remained silent when Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar raised the matter during INDIA bloc meetings. The JDU also questioned why the Congress government in Karnataka has not released the state’s caste data.
The attack by JDU working president and MP Sanjay Jha came a day after Gandhi criticised the caste survey conducted by the Kumar-led Bihar government as a “fake exercise” during an event in Patna, while advocating for a nationwide caste census.
“There cannot be a bigger hypocrisy than this. I witnessed Gandhi’s silence while Kumar strongly and logically spoke in favor of a caste census at several INDIA bloc meetings,” Jha told PTI.
Kumar’s JDU was previously part of the INDIA bloc before he parted ways with the opposition alliance and joined hands with the BJP. Notably, Bihar’s caste survey was conducted and its findings were released when Congress was a partner in Kumar’s government.
Jha pointed out that Kumar was the only leader to consistently advocate for a caste census, with all INDIA bloc members being witnesses. He defended the Bihar caste survey, stating that Kumar was the first leader since 1931, when the last nationwide caste census was conducted, to scientifically count caste populations to promote social justice.
Jha also criticised Gandhi, urging him to clarify whether he believes Bihar’s caste survey inaccurately counted certain communities. “He should not skirt the issue,” Jha added, mentioning that Kumar has already used the survey data to expand the scope of reservations, although the matter is currently sub-judice.
Targeting the Congress, Jha accused its Karnataka government of withholding caste-wise population data for years. “Why does Gandhi not ensure its release?” he asked.