In a frontal attack on the Opposition, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur on Sunday called I.N.D.I.A an alliance of "corruption and arrogance," whose leaders make derogatory remarks against OBC community, news agency ANI reported. Addressing media persons at Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, Thakur stated: "Opposition has nowhere to hide their corrupt face... So they changed the name of UPA to INDI Alliance...The kind of words Rahul Gandhi used for the OBC community is in front of the country...He had lost his Lok Sabha membership because of that...What will they do? When they have failed in administration, they are talking about caste...Modi government is committed to working for the poor."
Earlier today, Congress questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on the topic of caste censuses, asking why BJP-ruled states were not holding them to promote social fairness and rights.
The party's statements came a day after the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress administration in Rajasthan issued an order for a caste survey.
According to Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Rajasthan, Rahul Gandhi met with delegates from numerous communities, and OBC delegations notably expressed the desire for a caste census. Taking to X, Ramesh stated: "Rahul Gandhi took their words very seriously. Now the Rajasthan government has decided to conduct a caste based survey in accordance with their sentiments. This is a welcome step."
"This will especially help in making policies for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. It is also very important to ensure social justice and giving rights to people as per their population," the Congress leader said.