Caste census like 'X-Ray' that will help decide future course of action: Rahul Gandhi

Asserting that he is "100 per cent" in support of a caste census, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has likened the exercise with an "X-Ray" and said it would give a clear picture of how many Dalits, tribals, OBCs and upper castes are there which in turn would help in deciding the future course of action.

Gandhi made the remarks on September 23 during his interaction with the students of the Maharani College in Jaipur, a video of which was released on his social media platforms on Tuesday.

Gandhi was received by the college principal. After his interaction with the students, the party leader rode pillion on a two-wheeler driven by a girl student amid security on the road outside the college.

In his interaction with the girls at the college, Gandhi talked about a host of issues, including the education system and the need for empowering women in the country, according to the video.

Asked about the caste census, Gandhi said, "The fact is that the lower caste communities, the OBCs, Dalits and tribals are not involved in the power structure. And no one knows how many OBCs are there, how many Dalits, tribals ad upper castes are there." "When you get hurt, the first thing that you get done is an X-Ray. Through an X-Ray we get to know if a bone is broken or not, where and how it is broken. So the caste census is an X-Ray which will tell us how many people are there, belonging to which community, what are they doing, what is their role in the power structure," the former Congress chief said.

"It is just to see what is the status, after that we have to decide this is the status and this is what we have to do. I am for caste census, a 100 per cent," he said during the interaction at the college, according to the video released by the party.

The Congress on Monday promised that a government led by it will conduct a nationwide caste census and implement 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies at the earliest, including adequate representation for women belonging to the OBC community.

After the Congress Working Committee meeting on Monday, Gandhi said the CWC has taken a "historic decision" unanimously to support the demand for a nationwide caste census, asserting it is a "powerful step" for the emancipation of the poor.