'Castes in India or not?' Rahul Gandhi hits out at PM Modi's 'OBC leader' remark

Rahul Gandhi has promised a nationwide caste census if the Congress returns to power

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on February 6 said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is confused and should decide whether India has a caste system or not.

“Prime Minister now calls himself an OBC leader. Earlier, he said there are two castes in India, rich and the poor. He is confused and needs to decide whether there are castes in India or not,” said Rahul Gandhi.

The Congress MP’s statement came a day after Modi, during his reply to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address, launched a sharp attack on the Opposition bloc INDIA.

“They keep talking about the OBC community, but I am surprised that they can’t see the biggest OBC,” said PM Modi while pointing at himself.

Gandhi said that 50 percent of India’s population is OBC, Dalits comprise 15 percent, tribals are 8 percent, and Congress is pushing for a caste census so that everyone would know the real figures.

In all sectors such as health, education, and administration, there is a thin presence of people from SC, OBC, and tribal communities, said Rahul, adding that whether Modi is OBC or not is not important.

Gandhi also reacted to the controversy during his ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, after a video showed him handing over biscuits that were not eaten by a dog to a person, whom he described as the dog's owner.

“The dog was scared, and he didn’t eat the biscuit I offered him. His owner, who was not a Congress worker, was there, and I gave him the biscuit to feed the dog. What is wrong with this?” questioned Gandhi.

The video, widely shared on social media, drew criticism from BJP leaders, including Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and party's IT cell head Amit Malviya.