Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], October 15 : Congress leader V Hanumanth Rao on Thursday demanded the inclusion of a Backwards Classes (BC) column in the caste census and called on Other Backwards Classes (OBC) voters to defeat the BJP and parties aligned with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the upcoming elections.
Speaking to ANI in Hyderabad, Rao alleged that the omission of the BC column would leave the community unrecognised in the census and accused the Centre of undermining the Constitution. He questioned why the census did not include a separate column for OBCs.
“Our name isn’t in the census either. Only SC and ST are there, so we aren’t considered people; we just have the right to vote. When animals come to the jungle, they track the lions and elephants, but we are people! Why are they leaving our name out? We aren’t considered people,” Rao said.
Rao also criticised the Centre over the selection process for appointments to key institutions, including the Election Commission, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He alleged that the Chief Justice of India had been removed from the relevant selection arrangement and replaced by government nominees.
“There’s only one discussion about the Election Commission, the ED, and the CBI. It includes the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and the Chief Justice of India. They removed the Chief Justice and put their own people in there,” he alleged.
The Congress leader also raised allegations of electoral irregularities in Maharashtra and Haryana and criticised the response to concerns raised by opposition leaders. He alleged that the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister were working together to influence the electoral process.
“When the Prime Minister and the Home Minister team up, what can Rahul Gandhi do? In the end, votes were stolen. He kept speaking out, went to the protests. What happened in Maharashtra, what happened in Haryana, nobody was even ready to listen to what happened in West Bengal. After speaking out and protesting, lakhs of people finally came to Delhi in the end,” Rao said.
Rao linked the alleged omission of the BC column to Rahul Gandhi’s demand for a caste census, claiming that the government was concerned about the Congress leader’s promise to conduct the exercise if his party came to power.
“Rahul Gandhi said it alone, ‘We will come to power, we will conduct a caste census.’ Whatever share was demanded, there is only one person for all of it. Now they are scared because Rahul Gandhi said he would become Prime Minister, so they removed our column,” he said.
Comparing the omission of the OBC column with the Emergency imposed during former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s tenure, Rao described the move as a “black day” and alleged that it was a greater injustice than the Emergency.
“But even during Indira Gandhi’s Emergency, there wasn’t this much injustice. It’s a bigger black day than the Emergency, it is a black day for the people,” he said.
Rao urged OBC voters not to support parties aligned with the NDA or RSS in the upcoming elections. He also called on young people and women to mobilise against the BJP and RSS, saying that the community should fight for its representation.
“To all my OBC brothers and sisters, don’t vote for any other party in the upcoming elections. Whichever party is tied down, whether it was NDA-tied or RSS-tied, give them defeat,” Rao said.
He reiterated his call for the inclusion of the BC column and said the community’s political fight would continue.
“After this, every youth and woman should fight in the upcoming elections and defeat Narendra Modi and the RSS. Only then will they understand what the Constitution is. So from now on, our fight will continue, it will continue, it will continue,” he said.
Rao also expressed confidence in the Congress party’s electoral prospects, saying it would defeat its political opponents.
“If I don’t win, my name isn’t Hanuman. Ram’s devotee Hanuman speaking. We will win and leave them behind,” he said.