Congress dismisses caste census announcement as ‘diversionary tactic’ of government
NEW DELHI: Congress Thursday said PM Narendra Modi had last year dubbed Rahul Gandhi’s demand for a caste census an “urban naxal mindset”, poking fun at BJP functionaries for taking credit for the govt decision to count caste in the much-awaited decennial census. It said the central govt has not clarified the timeline for the census, which is overdue for five years, saying the Prime Minister has given “headline without deadline” which is a “diversionary tactic”, reports Subodh Ghildiyal. The CWC will meet on Friday to discuss the govt decision on caste enumeration, and may pile further pressure on the govt over its demands linked to the issue, besides amplifying the point that the BJP regime buckled under Rahul’s pressure. The CWC will also discuss the Pahalgam attack. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said RSS and Jan Sangh have been opposed to reservations from the start, and they have no right to criticize Congress, as he rebuffed the BJP’s attacks on the opposition party over caste census. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
One decision of Modi government and Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Brahmastra’ failed, now what will Tejaswi do in Bihar elections?
Caste Census In India: After the approval of the Union Cabinet to conduct caste census, the opposition has suffered a major setback. A big issue has slipped out of its hands. The entire opposition, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, had this strong issue to corner the BJP. Its effect was also seen in the Lok Sabha elections. BJP’s seats came down to 240 while the opposition’s seats reached 232. The opposition was also preparing to capitalize on this in the Bihar assembly elections. Central government bows down to the opposition Caste census got approval May get benefit in Bihar elections Patna: The central government finally had to come on the back foot on the question of caste census. Earlier the central government had refused to conduct caste census. During the hearing on this issue in the Supreme Court, the Center had cited technical difficulties. The opposition was making it an issue since the time of the Lok Sabha elections. Rahul Gandhi, who has been the PM face of India Block, has been saying till now that if his government is formed, the first thing he will do is caste census. The law of reservation will be made in proportion to the share of the people in the census. Rahul has even been saying that along with caste census, he will also end the limit of reservation. Caste census was an issue in Lok Sabha elections During the Lok Sabha elections, the opposition had included caste census among the major issues. In Bihar, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav was the first to take the initiative of caste census. He had first met Nitish Kumar on this issue. Nitish was the head of the NDA government then. Nitish sent a government delegation to Delhi in this regard. Since the central government had already refused to conduct caste census citing technical problems, Nitish Kumar later conducted caste survey at his own expense while running the government with RJD. The state government also bore the huge expenditure of Rs 500 crore on this. On the basis of the survey, the Nitish government increased the limit of reservation to 75 percent. However, the Patna High Court put a stay on the increase in reservation. The opposition in Bihar wanted to make it an issue in the assembly elections. But, BJP has foiled the opposition’s plan. The caste issue slipped out of Congress’ hands In the first Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi tried to cash in on the caste census. He said that he will get the caste census done if the government is formed. On that basis, reservation will be determined afresh. In the states where assembly elections were held after the Lok Sabha elections, all the opposition parties including Congress made caste census an election issue. In Jharkhand, it has been announced that a caste survey will be conducted by next year if the opposition alliance forms the government. To ensure that the opposition does not take advantage of this issue further, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the proposal to conduct caste census. It may have an impact on Bihar elections Assembly elections are to be held in Bihar this year. All the parties are trying to beat each other with their own moves. Rahul Gandhi has termed the caste survey conducted in Bihar as fake. He has talked about getting the caste census done again. However, now the Center has taken its decision, so the opposition will hardly get any benefit from it now. The opposition can now only boast that the central government, which had earlier refused under its pressure, has now agreed to conduct the caste census. The BJP will definitely try to tell that the caste census is its contribution. Earlier, Karnataka, Bihar and Telangana had conducted the caste census. So far, no benefit of this is visible on the ground in Bihar. Its report has not been implemented in Karnataka. Rahul Gandhi considers the caste census of Telangana to be perfect. He has been in favor of conducting similar caste census in every state. Now this issue of his, which the Congress leaders wanted to use as a ‘Brahmastra’ in the Bihar elections, is over. About the author Sudhendra Pratap Singh Senior Digital Content Producer at Navbharat Times Digital. Started the journey in journalism with the local newspaper Agrabharat. From here the caravan grew and reached NBT.com via Kalpataru Express, Hindustan News Paper, News18. Courtesy: Edited by Sudhendra Pratap Singh | Written by Omprakash Ashk, NBT, Hindi News
PM must not dilly-dally: Rahul Gandhi
Stating that PM Modi must not “dilly-dally” and should take immediate action on the Pahalgam attack, Congress’ Rahul Gandhi Wednesday said the response against those responsible for the Kashmir outrage has to be exemplary so that it acts as a deterrent against future misadventure. Hours after he met the family of a Kashmir terror victim in Kanpur, Rahul told reporters, “Those responsible for this act, wherever they are, have to pay for it. And they have to pay for it properly. Not in some half-hearted way, but properly, so that they remember that it cannot be done with India.” “It is pretty clear who are responsible (for the attack) and they must pay the price. The PM has to take action. It has to be clear and it has to be strong. Without any confusion. The PM must not dilly dally, he must not waste time and must make it clear that India will not tolerate this kind of nonsense. He can act in whatever time frame he thinks necessary, but he has to act soon,” Rahul said. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Government must give a timeline for caste census, says Rahul Gandhi
NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi demanded that the Centre provide the timeline by when caste census would be done, even as he warned that the exercise will only bear fruits if it is designed to ask the right questions as done by the survey conducted by Congress-led govt in Telangana. The Congress MP said caste census is required to know participation of weaker sections in institutions and power structure, so that they can be given “access to power”. As he dubbed caste census “a first step…a big step” in changing the development paradigm, Rahul demanded the govt abolish the 50% limit on reservations and immediately implement caste quotas in private educational institutions, in line with the Constitutional amendment of Article 15(5). But the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha expressed “immediate suspicion” that the govt on the census will adopt a “strategy on timeline” as in the women’s reservation bill, suggesting that its execution will be kept open-ended. Claiming BJP was forced to change its stance under Congress pressure, Rahul mocked, “PM Modi used to say there are only four castes but now suddenly announced caste census”. He was referring to Modi’s election speeches, in which the PM, rubbishing the demand for caste census, said the only four castes that exist for him are “women, youth, poor, farmers”. Rahul, who has turned caste census into a sort of mascot of Congress’s growing social justice platform over the past two years, held a presser to react to the govt announcement – indicating that he views it as a victory with evidence that “BJP can be pressured”. He asserted that Congress pushed the demand with a massive grassroots campaign, which had its effect on the govt. “We welcome the decision. It is our vision, they have adopted it,” Rahul said. Rahul said unlike Bihar, Telangana’s caste census is the model for doing the exercise, as the questions were crystallised through public consultation and not decided by bureaucrats. He offered to Modi govt Congress’s help in finalising the design of the census. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Centre’s caste census nod sparks credit war between BJP, Congress
NEW DELHI: Centre’s announcement to include caste enumeration in the upcoming general census has triggered a war of words, with both the ruling BJP and opposition parties scrambling to claim credit for the decision. Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Wednesday that the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs has approved the inclusion of caste enumeration in the forthcoming census, marking a significant shift in policy. The Congress party was quick to attribute the decision to Rahul Gandhi’s advocacy, claiming it as a victory for their leader’s vision. “Rahul Gandhi Ji said, “Start counting.” Now the Modi government is making arrangements for counting. When our leader Shri Rahul Gandhi Ji had said, “A caste census is the X-ray of society,” people from the ruling party mocked him, ignored him, and procrastinated,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh wrote on X. — Jairam_Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) “He had been demanding this for a long time – raising the issue repeatedly in Parliament, public gatherings, and during his travels. But how long can the voice of millions demanding their rights be suppressed? Now the Modi government has agreed to conduct a caste census. Well, better late than never! This is a decisive step towards ensuring social justice. This is a victory for millions of people in India. It is a victory for all those who have been fighting for years for equality, fairness, and representation,” he added. However, BJP’s IT cell head Amit Malviya countered this narrative, pointing out the Congress party’s historical resistance to caste-based census. “Congress governments have consistently opposed caste-based census until now. In every census conducted since independence, caste has not been counted. In 2010, then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh assured in the Lok Sabha that the Cabinet would consider the caste census. After this, a Cabinet Committee was formed, in which most political parties recommended a caste-based census. Despite this, the Congress government deemed it appropriate to conduct only a survey (SECC) instead of a caste census,” BJP leader Amit Malviya said. “Even after this, Congress and its allied parties used the issue of caste census merely for their political benefit,” he added. Union minister Kiren Rijiju also attacked Congress for taking credit and said that grand-old-party can “only talk. — KirenRijiju (@KirenRijiju) “I fail to understand why is Congress party taking credit??” Rijiju said. “Congress Party had opposed Caste Census & Reservations on records. PM Narendra Modi ji has taken right decision at right time. Congress can only talk nothing else,” he added. Taking to X, the Andhra Pradesh chief minister Revanth Reddy said, “We are proud that the actions of the Telangana govt for OBC empowerment have inspired the country, and India has agreed to follow our state’s lead.” — revanth_anumula (@revanth_anumula) “We congratulate the central govt on deciding to conduct a caste census as part of the next national census. Thank you, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the cabinet,” he added. A caste census involves systematically recording individuals’ caste identities during a national census. In India, where caste influences social, economic, and political life, such data can offer valuable insights into the distribution and socio-economic status of various caste groups. This information can help shape policies related to affirmative action and social justice. Caste enumeration was a regular feature of census exercises during British rule from 1881 to 1931. However, with the first census of independent India in 1951, the government chose to discontinue the practice, except for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
15 killed, including two children, in Kolkata hotel fire; several injured critical, SIT formed
Blaze breaks out at Mechuapatti hotel with 88 boarders; fire contained after hours, cause still under investigation. KOLKATA: Fifteen people, including a woman and two children, were killed in a devastating fire at a hotel in the Mechuapatti area of central Kolkata, police said on Wednesday. Thirteen others were also injured in the fire that broke out on Tuesday evening, a senior police officer said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish over the loss of lives in the fire incident, and announced ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased. “Anguished by the loss of lives due to a fire mishap in Kolkata. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon. An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000,” the prime minister’s office said on X. According to the Kolkata Police officer, the deceased include 11 men, eight of whom have been identified so far. The condition of several of the injured is said to be critical, he said. “There were 88 guests in 42 rooms at the time of the incident. A boy, a girl and a woman are among the dead. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Our forensic team will examine the site, which has been cordoned off,” the officer said. The fire at the low-cost Rituraj Hotel was first reported around 7:30 PM on Tuesday. Ten fire tenders were pressed into service, and the blaze was brought under control, after nearly 10 hours, this morning on Wednesday, a fire and emergency services official said. “There were 15 fatalities in last night’s fire. Eight of the deceased have been identified,” state minister Sujit Bose told PTI. In the wake of the tragedy, the Kolkata Police has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident. West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar lashed out at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of “insensitivity” for attending a day-long inauguration programme of Jagannath Dham in Digha while the fire tragedy was unfolding in the state capital. “Yesterday, a devastating fire in the Mechhua area of Burrabazar claimed the lives of more than 14 innocent people. Many more are battling for their lives. Yet, the chief minister chose to remain silent and continued with her religious event in Digha,” Majumdar said in a strongly worded statement. “This exposes her lack of empathy and the failure of her administration. While helpless citizens were trapped in flames and dying in pain, the CM was busy exploiting religion for political gain. Her year-round appeasement and election-time religious posturing have once again taken precedence over governance,” he alleged Majumdar called upon BJP workers across the state to immediately mobilise relief efforts and extend support to the victims’ families. “I will personally stand by the affected families and oversee our party’s involvement in the rescue and relief operations,” he said. Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https://thenewindianexpress.com and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
President Murmu appoints Justice BR Gavai as next CJI; second dalit to hold the post
Justice Gavai will serve as the 52nd CJI for a period of about six months, as he is due to retire on November 23, 2025, after attaining 65 years of age. NEW DELHI: President of India Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday appointed Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai as the next Chief Justice of India (CJI), with effect from May 14, 2025. He will be the 52nd CJI. The incumbent CJI, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, is slated to retire on May 13. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal made this announcement by posting it on X (formerly known as Twitter). “In exercise of the powers conferred by the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, Judge of the Supreme Court of India, as the Chief Justice of India with effect from 14th May, 2025,” Meghwal posted on X. When Justice Gavai takes charge as the 52nd CJI on May 14, he will also be the second CJI belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC) community after Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, who was elevated to the country’s top judicial post in 2007 and retired as CJI in 2010. Justice Gavai will retire on November 23, 2025. Justice Gavai has authored around 300 judgments—including Constitution Bench judgments—on various issues upholding the rule of law and equality, and safeguarding the fundamental rights, human rights, and legal rights of citizens. On April 16, the incumbent CJI, Justice Khanna, wrote a letter to the Centre, nominating the second senior-most judge, Justice Gavai, as his successor. Justice Gavai will serve as the 52nd CJI for a period of about six months, as he is due to retire on November 23, 2025, after attaining 65 years of age. Justice Gavai was elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019. Born on November 24, 1960, at Amravati, Justice Gavai joined the Bar in 1985. He practiced independently at the Bombay High Court from 1987 to 1990 and focused on Constitutional Law and Administrative Law. He was the Standing Counsel for the Municipal Corporation of Nagpur, Amravati Municipal Corporation, and Amravati University. Justice Gavai was elevated as an Additional Judge of the High Court on November 14, 2003. He became a permanent Judge of the Bombay High Court on November 12, 2005. Justice Gavai worked as Assistant Government Pleader and Additional Public Prosecutor in the High Court of Judicature at Bombay, Nagpur Bench, from August 1992 to July 1993. He was appointed as Government Pleader and Public Prosecutor for the Nagpur Bench on January 17, 2000. In the last six years, he has been a part of around 700 benches dealing with matters pertaining to a variety of subjects, including constitutional and administrative law, civil law, criminal law, commercial disputes, arbitration law, electricity law, education matters, environmental law, etc. Justice Gavai has attended various international conferences in Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), New York (U.S.A.), Cardiff (U.K.), and Nairobi (Kenya). He has also delivered lectures on many issues, including constitutional and environmental issues, at various universities and organizations, including Columbia University and Harvard University. Courtesy : Suchitra Kalyan Mohanty, TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https://thenewindianexpress.com and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Congress deletes ‘gayab’ post on PM Modi after backlash
NEW DELHI: The Congress party on Tuesday deleted the controversial post on PM Modi, which criticised the Prime Minister for “not taking the responsibility” for the “security lapse” that led to the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam. The BJP had strongly objected to Congress’s “Gayab” (missing) jibe against the PM. Earlier today, the Congress shared a poster featuring the word ‘Gayab’ (missing) placed over an image of a kurta, pyjama, and black footwear. The outfit appeared to be worn by someone, but the figure had no visible face. BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya accused the grand-old-party of using the “Sar Tan Se Juda” imagery and said that the “dog whistle” was aimed at its Muslim vote bank and a veiled incitement against the Prime Minister. “The Congress leaves little doubt with its use of “Sar Tan Se Juda” imagery. This is not merely a political statement; it is a dog whistle aimed at its Muslim vote bank and a veiled incitement against the Prime Minister,” Malviya said. “It is not the first time the Congress has resorted to such tactics. Rahul Gandhi, on multiple occasions, has both instigated and justified violence toward the Prime Minister. Yet the Congress will never succeed, for the Prime Minister enjoys the love and blessings of millions of Indians,” he added. Hours after the Congress uploaded the photo, a BJP spokesperson also posted an AI-generated photo of Rahul Gandhi, calling him “a friend of Pakistan”. — rpsinghkhalsa (@rpsinghkhalsa) This comes a day after Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge accused the Prime Minister of putting party and politics above country by absenting himself from the all-party meeting convened to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, and choosing, instead, to attend an election rally in Bihar. “When our pride was hurt, the PM was delivering an election speech in Bihar…. He should bear in mind that the country is supreme; parties and religion come second. Everyone should be united for the country,” Kharge said, calling Modi’s absence a “misfortune” and a “shame.” Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
OBC forum urges Rahul Gandhi to support caste census report
Mysuru: The Karnataka State Backward Classes Awareness Forum on Tuesday initiated a postal campaign requesting Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, to address concerns regarding certain Congress MLAs who opposed the socio-educational report, commonly known as the caste census. The forum members sent letters to Rahul requesting his intervention in implementing the report. “For the first time in Karnataka, a comprehensive social, economic, educational, and political survey of all communities was conducted through the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes when Siddaramaiah was the CM for the first time in 2013. The primary objective of this survey was to understand the socio-economic and educational conditions of all communities, including the oppressed, with statistical data and to ensure social justice for these sections. This survey was conducted scientifically with a cost of approximately Rs180 crore. But now a few Congress MLAs are opposing it without any valid reasons,” they alleged. “The report has now been presented and discussed in the cabinet meeting. However, it is deeply saddening that senior Congress MLAs such as Shamanur Shivashankarappa and a few others are opposing this report. Moreover, these MLAs and some leaders have made extremely derogatory statements about the report and the AHINDA communities (minorities, backward classes, and Dalits). They are demanding that the report be discarded entirely, which has caused great distress among all AHINDA sections,” said forum president KS Shivaram. “The report consolidates statistical data not only on population but also on social, economic, and educational status of AHINDA communities. It has recommended reservation categorisation and an increase in reservation for various sections. Based on the statistics in this report, the govt will be able to provide political, social, and educational representation to AHINDA communities. However, it is truly unfortunate that some Congress MLAs themselves are opposing this,” he said. The forum requests Rahul’s immediate intervention to instruct Congress MLAs to avoid creating unnecessary confusion regarding the report. Raveenandan, president, District Madivala Association, S Yogeesh Uppar, president, District Uppar Association, and others were present. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
‘INDI’s hand with Pakistan’: Posters target Rahul Gandhi ahead of visit to former constituency Amethi
NEW DELHI: Ahead of Rahul Gandhi’s Amethi visit on Wednesday, posters were put up in the Congress MP’s former Lok Sabha constituency targeting him and leaders of the party-led INDIA bloc for taking a “pro-Pakistan” stand amid escalating tensions with the neighbouring country over last week’s terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam. Gandhi is on a two-day visit to Rae Bareli, which he currently represents in the Lok Sabha, and Amethi. He visited Rae Bareli on Tuesday. “INDI’s hand is with Pakistan,” one of the posters read. Hand is the Congress’ symbol. The poster had comments from National Conference supremo Farooq Abdullah and Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar. It called Gandhi a “sympathiser” of terrorism (“Aatank ka saathi”). Similar banners were put up across the Uttar Pradesh town targeting the opposition INDIA group leaders for making statements “favouring” Pakistan. The Congress and other opposition parties have declared their complete support to the government as it plans India’s response for the Pahalgam attack, carried out by Pakistan-backed terrorists. However, stray remarks from its leaders forced the grand old party to distance itself from their comments. “Some Congress leaders have been speaking to the media. They speak for themselves and do not reflect the Congress’ views. There should be absolutely no doubt whatsoever at this most sensitive of times that the CWC resolution, the views expressed by (Congress president) Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi and the views of authorised AICC office-bearers ALONE represent the position of the Congress (sic),” Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X. Last night, after much outrage, the party deleted a social media post in which it accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of going “missing” during the crisis. The image, which showed a headless PM, was captioned “Gayab” (missing). Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.