On Caste Census, Rahul Gandhi Talks Of "Mistake" By UPA While In Power

Rahul Gandhi said, "The UPA and Congress came out with the idea of a caste census. I consider it a mistake that we did not implement it then".

Congress's Rahul Gandhi said today that it was a "mistake' of the erstwhile UPA government not to conduct a caste census when they were the ones to come up with the idea. But the party, he added, plans to rectify it, starting with the caste survey in Congress-ruled states of Telangana and Karnataka. A Congress-JMM victory in Jharkand will ensure a similar exercise in the eastern state as well, he added.

Speaking at Jharkhand's Ranchi, Mr Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, said, "The UPA and Congress came out with the idea of a caste census. I consider it a mistake that we did not implement it then".

The party, he added, is conducting a detailed exercise in the two southern states -- meeting different stakeholders and "preparing the questions of the caste census through a public discussion".