Congress misleading people by promising caste census: Rajnath Singh

RANCHI: Hitting out at Rahul Gandhi for promising caste census if Congress is voted to office, defence minister Rajnath Singh Saturday accused the party of misleading people and wondered why the exercise was not carried out when the grand old party governed the country.

Addressing a rally in Jharkhand's Khunti, Singh said law and order in the state had worsened because of infiltration from Bangladesh under JMM's patronage.

"In 2011, a socio-economic caste census was conducted in which nearly 46 lakh castes, sub-castes and gotras were found. The number was so huge that the report was not even made public at the time. According to the social welfare ministry, there were around 1,200 Scheduled Castes, over 750 Scheduled Tribes and around 2,500 Other Backward Castes," he said.

Referring to Rahul, Singh said a Congress neta is misleading people by claiming to conduct a caste census if his party wins. "Who Congress wants to benefit by opening the caste box. I want to ask Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge about the party's blueprint for the welfare of thousands of castes. What arrangements will it make for reservation?" he said.

Alleging a rise in Bangladeshi influx, Singh said the situation is so bad in Jharkhand that even 'Saraswati Vandana' is prevented and stone pelting takes place during festivals.