Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Sunday doubled down on his demand for a nationwide caste-census, citing data from India Today’s Mood of the Nation (MOTN) survey.
In a tweet, Rahul Gandhi said, “Modiji, if you are thinking of stopping the caste census, you are dreaming – no power can stop it now. India’s order has come – soon 90 per cent of Indians will support and demand caste census. Implement the order now, or you will see the next Prime Minister doing it.”
The Leader of the Opposition retweeted a post by the Congress’s social media handle, which had cited a report of the MOTN survey in August. According to the survey, 74 per cent of respondents were in favour of a caste census, an increase from 59 per cent in February when the survey was last conducted.
The August 2024 edition of India Today’s Mood of the Nation, a bi-annual pan-India survey, was conducted by CVoter between July 15, 2024 and August 10, 2024. The survey interviewed 40,591 respondents in all 543 Lok Sabha segments of the country. Another 95,872 interviews from CVoter’s regular weekly tracker were also analysed to identify long-term trends in vote and seat share. For the complete Mood of the Nation report, subscribe to India Today Magazine.
Rahul Gandhi has been a staunch supporter of a nationwide caste census, a promise which was also included in the Congress’s manifesto in the Lok Sabha elections this year.
During campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi promised to conduct a nationwide socio-economic caste census to enumerate the castes, sub-castes and their socio-economic conditions, if the party was voted to power.
After the caste census, Rahul Gandhi promises to conduct a financial and institutional survey to ascertain the distribution of wealth among the people in the country – an idea which was strongly opposed by the ruling BJP.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had alleged that the Congress would distribute the country’s wealth to “infiltrators” and “those who have more children”.
