Rahul Gandhi is on a three-day visit in Telangana as part of Congress’ election campaign in the state which will go to the assembly polls on November 30.

Peddapalli, Telangana: The Congress will carry out a nation-wide Caste Census, akin to the one carried out in Bihar, if the party was voted to power in the next year’s Lok Sabha elections, senior party leader Rahul Gandhi said on Thursday.

Addressing a massive election rally in Peddapalli area of poll-bound Telangana, Rahul Gandhi said the Congress will conduct a caste census in Telangana as well as across India if it was voted to power in the BRS-ruled state and the Centre.

“I am informing you, we will start caste census work after we come to power in Telangana. We will take up the same in India also,” the Congress MP said.

Gandhi said he had asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to release the data of the caste census done by Congress.  “I asked the Prime Minister, if you are supporting OBCs, then why don’t you make the data of caste census public,” he said.

Congress will fulfill all 6 poll guarantees

Speaking about issues in Telangana, he said if the party comes to power in the state, the Congress government would not allow the alleged proposal to privatise the Singareni mines to go forward.

The Congress had given five ‘poll guarantees’ ahead of the Karnataka assembly elections and fulfilled those promises, Rahul said, adding that the party would similarly implement all six guarantees announced for Telangana, as soon as it forms the government in the state.

Responding to the Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s comments that there are no funds for the schemes (guarantees), he said, “KCR ji, it will not be your government but a government of the people. We will take out that (money) which is going into your (KCR) pocket today and give it to the people.”

Caste survey would reveal KCR’s “loot”

Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi said the caste survey would reveal how much KCR’s family “looted” from the people of Telangana.

“We have already initiated caste surveys in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Karnataka and will do the same in Telangana as soon as we come to power. The caste census will reveal how much KCR’s family has looted Telangana,” Rahul Gandhi said while addressing Congress workers in Bhupalpally during his ‘Vijayabheri Yatra’.

“When PM Modi and CM KCR give their speeches, the people of Telangana should question them about when they intend to conduct the caste census survey,” said the Gandhi scion.

Rahul Gandhi is on a three-day visit in Telangana as part of Congress’ election campaign in the state which will go to the assembly polls on November 30.

(With PTI inputs)