Rahul Gandhi reiterates caste census promise in MP poll rally

BARWANI: The Bharatiya Janata Party brought down the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh using money power, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Friday.

The Congress government under Nath, which came to power after the Assembly polls in 2018, collapsed in March 2020 following a revolt by several MLAs loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia.

It paved the way for the return of Shivraj Singh Chouhan as chief minister, while the rebel MLAs and Scindia joined the BJP.

Addressing a rally in Rajpur in Barwani, Gandhi said, "We had promised to waive farm loans in the last assembly polls. We wrote off loans of 25 lakh farmers but the BJP and their big industrialist friends stole your government by giving money to legislators." Slamming the BJP further, he said the ruling party refers to tribals as 'vanvasi' or forest-dwellers, while the correct term is Adivasi or original inhabitants, which the Congress uses.

Forests are shrinking and after 15 years the BJP will ask 'vanvasis' to go to cities and beg, Gandhi claimed.

Mentioning the Sidhi case, which hit national headlines and caused immense outrage across the nation, Gandhi said, "Have you seen any BJP leader urinating on an animal? But a BJP leader urinated on the face of a tribal man, shot a video and made it viral. They are shameless. Their thinking is hidden in this video." While the Congress wants children from tribal communities to become doctors, engineers, lawyers and industrialists, the BJP wants to keep them away from English education, Gandhi claimed.

"The BJP leaders want their sons and daughters to study English but they want tribals to stay away," Gandhi said while mentioning several jobs where English is required.

The Congress will conduct a caste census after coming to power in MP so that the exact number of OBCs, SCs, STs can be known and benefits can be given accordingly, he said.

Assembly polls will be held in MP on November 17, while votes will be counted on December 3.