Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said that the Women's Reservation Bill should be implemented as soon as possible. He said that delimitation and census conditions should be removed from the bill and it should be implemented immediately. He also called out the Centre to ensure proper participation of the OBC as per the proportion of their population and said that the quota bill is a 'distraction' by the BJP from the issue of caste census in the country.
"Women's Reservation Bill is great but we received two footnotes that Census and Delimitation need to be done before that. Both of these will take years. The truth is that the Reservation can be implemented today...This is not a complicated matter but the Govt doesn't want to do that. Govt has presented this before the country but it will be implemented 10 years from now. Nobody knows if this will even be implemented. This is a distraction tactic, diversion tactic," Gandhi said.
Gandhi Asks Centre To Public Caste Census Data
In his press conference, Rahul Gandhi said that the government is diverting attention from the OBC caste census with the Women's Reservation Bill, and said that implementing the same after 10 years makes no sense.
"What is it that you are being diverted from? From OBC Census. I spoke of one institution in Parliament, that which runs the Government of India - Cabinet secretary and secretaries...I asked why only three out of 90 people belong to the OBC community?...I don't understand that PM Modi speaks of OBCs every day but what did he do for them?" he said.
"PM says he is working a lot for the OBCs. If that is the case, why are only three out of 90 bureaucrats from the OBC community?" the Congress MP said.
When asked if he regrets that the OBC quota was not provided under the Bill brought by UPA in 2010, Gandhi said, 100 per cent regret hai. This should have been done then. We will get this done.."
He also sought the release of the caste census data that was carried out by the Congress government and also asked the government to conduct the next census should have the caste data.
'MPs Don't Participate In Any Work In This Govt'
Intensifying his attack at the Centre, Rahul Gandhi said that no BJP MP participates in the working of the government, and they have been placed in parliament only as statutes. He claimed that a BJP MP expressed his anger to him over "non-participation" in the formation of bills and other important works of the government.
He claimed one can go and ask the BJP MPs if they have any role in the formation of policies or laws and "they will said no".