Patna: Union Minister Giriraj Singh on May 1 praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Union Cabinet’s decision to include the caste census in the national census, while launching a sharp attack on the Congress saying the PM washed away “countless sins” of Congress by approving caste census.
Speaking to ANI in Patna, Singh said, “From Nehru to Manmohan Singh, the Congress government has committed many sins towards the poor and social equality. PM Narendra Modi has washed away these sins by approving the caste census…”
He alleged that successive Congress governments, including those led by Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh, failed to prioritize caste-based data despite invoking Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s legacy.
“From Nehru to Manmohan Singh, the Congress governments have committed countless sins against the poor and social equality. It is Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has washed away those sins by approving the caste census,” Singh said.
Acknowledging Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s consistent support for a caste census, Singh also added that had previous Congress governments implemented it, the situation would have been an OBC secretary in Delhi.
Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was already supporting the census… If Rahul Gandhi’s father or grandmother had implemented it, then today there would have been an OBC secretary in Delhi. He should chant PM Narendra Modi’s name for working for social equality without any discrimination,” said the MP from Bihar’s Begusarai.
#WATCH | Patna, Bihar | "… From Nehru to Manmohan Singh, the Congress government has committed many sins towards the poor and social equality. PM Narendra Modi has washed away these sins by approving the caste census… Be it Manmohan Singh's government or Rajiv Gandhi's… pic.twitter.com/30RW8mJIyU
— ANI (@ANI) May 1, 2025
Earlier, in a sharp rebuttal to the RJD’s claims that the BJP would take credit for the caste census, Union Minister Chirag Paswan said, “Jisko jo credit lena hai wo le le” (Let whoever wants the credit, take it).
Speaking to ANI, Chirag Paswan hit back at the RJD amid a political tug-of-war over the caste census and said that those who once doubted the Centre’s intent are now scrambling to take credit for its completion. He accused opposition leaders of undermining the Centre’s commitment to the caste census.
“They (Opposition) are the people who were pointing fingers at us and our Prime Minister, saying that we will not do the caste census. They used to go from house to house and raise slogans saying that the Centre wouldn’t have done it. However, the important thing is that the majority of the population in the country has this wish. My PM has given their wishes and feelings due respect,” Paswan told ANI.
The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday decided to include caste enumeration in the upcoming census. (With inputs from ANI)
