On the heels of the caste census controversy in the Parliament, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday questioned as to how a caste-based census could be carried out without disclosing one's own caste. He also asked Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to let the people know if he had any formula that would make this possible.
"Rahul Gandhi has been demanding a caste-based census in the country but did not disclose his own caste," Sarma, BJP's Jharkhand election co-incharge, claimed while interacting with mediapersons here.
"We would like to know from Gandhi the formula to conduct caste-based census without disclosing one's own caste," he said.
"Let Rahul Gandhi know this formula on the floor of the House, then the issues can be decided," Sarma added.
The Assam CM further stated that the Bihar government had conducted a caste-based survey. "Whether this would be conducted across the country or not is a different matter. But how it would be possible without disclosing one's caste?" he asked.
Biswa hit out at Rahul Gandhi saying that he can ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah's caste, but BJP cannot question about his caste.
The Assam CM also shared a post on X and wrote: "I am waiting for Rahul Gandhi to share with the country the mysterious formula through which caste census can be done without asking about caste."
Caste Census Row
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Anurag Thakur on Tuesday took a veiled jibe at Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over the caste census. He remarked, "Those whose caste is not known are speaking about census."
Reacting to this, Rahul Gandhi said that he was "insulted and abused" by Thakur in the House. However, he stressed that he would make sure that the census is conducted in India.
This trigerred a row in the session with the opposition lashing out at the BJP leader for remarking on Rahul Gandhi's caste.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also hit out at Thakur, asking him how could he ask Rahul Gandhi his caste.
Thakur, however, stated that he did not take anybody's name in his remark.