• Source:PTI
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Congress leader Kumari Selja pledged on Monday that a caste census would be conducted in Haryana if her party wins the upcoming state assembly elections. Kumari Selja, the Congress general secretary and MP from Sirsa, claimed that 74 per cent of the country's population supports a caste-based census, stating that it is a demand the Congress party is committed to fulfilling.

Kumari Selja criticised the BJP and accused them of being "anti-Dalit and anti-reservation" and asserted that it cannot block the implementation of a caste census. She assured that once the Congress takes power in Haryana, the caste-based census will be conducted.

"The BJP, which is anti-Dalit and anti-reservation, should stop dreaming of blocking this. Once the Congress forms the government in the state, a caste-based census will be conducted," the Congress leader said as quoted by news agency PTI.

The Haryana Assembly elections for the 90 seats will be held on October 1, with vote counting on October 4. The state has a total of 2.01 crore voters, including 4.52 lakh first-time voters and 40.95 lakh young voters.

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Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress leader, also called for the caste census. Rahul Gandhi warned that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi doesn't act, the next Prime Minister surely will. He cited a recent "mood of the nation poll" showing 74 per cent support for a caste census, a significant increase from 59 per cent in February.

Rahul Gandhi further stated that for the Congress, a caste census is a fundamental tool for policy-making, stating its importance for the 90 per cent of the population he claims are currently excluded from the system.