Senior Congress leader and Supreme Court lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi
After the Congress strongly batted for a national caste census with the assertion that rights should be proportionate to the population, senior party leader Abhishek Singhvi on Tuesday struck a note of caution, saying it will eventually culminate in majoritarianism. He said this in a post on microblogging platform X (formerly known as Twitter), which he later deleted.
The remarks by Mr Singhvi, a spokesperson of the party and a member of its apex decision-making body, the Congress Working Committee, countered the pitch for "Jitni abaadi, utna haq (rights proportionate to the population)" made by Rahul Gandhi and other leaders following the release of the Bihar caste census on Monday.
"Equality of opportunity is never the same as equality of outcomes. People endorsing #jitniabadiutnahaq have to first completely understand the consequences of it. It will eventually culminate in majoritarianism," Mr. Singhvi said in a post on X.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while speaking at a poll rally in Jagdalpur, said the Congress should clarify whether rights can be given in proportion to the "abaadi" (population) and asserted that poor people have the first right over the country's resources.
PM Modi also asked whether the grand old party wants to decrease the rights of Muslims.
On Monday, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said the caste census of Bihar has proved that 84 percent of people in the state are OBCs, SCs, and STs, and their rights should be according to their population.
"Out of 90 secretaries of the central government, only 3 are OBC, who handle only 5 percent of India's budget. Therefore, it is important to know the caste statistics of India...," Mr Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.
The party had also called upon the Centre to immediately conduct a similar exercise at the national level to ensure social justice and provide a firm foundation for social empowerment programs.
If the Modi government does not carry out a caste census, it will be conducted as soon as the Congress government is formed so that every section can get their rights, the opposition party said.
Addressing the 'Parivartan Mahasankalp' rally of the BJP at Jagdalpur in poll-bound Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, Modi also alleged that the Congress has entered into a secret pact with some other country and was taking pleasure in speaking against India, as he asked people to remain alert.
"Congress says the 'abaadi' (population) of people will decide the rights (on resources), but for Modi, poor people are the biggest abaadi of the country, and they have the first right over resources. The welfare of the poor is my aim," he said.
"What would former prime minister Manmohan Singh be thinking? Manmohan Singh ji used to say minorities have the first right over the resources of the country, and Muslims have the first right over resources. But now Congress is saying the population will decide who will get what share of rights. Do they want to decrease the rights of Muslims?" he asked.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked whose population is larger and said whether it will be possible to ensure "rights according to population".
"Should Hindus take all the rights? Congress should clarify whether the rights will be given according to the population. Does Congress want to remove minorities?" he said.
The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar on Monday released the findings of its much-awaited caste survey, which revealed that OBCs and EBCs constitute a whopping 63 percent of the state's total population.