"If you wanted caste-based census so badly, you should have got it done earlier": Chirag Paswan takes dig at Congress

New Delhi [India], May 1 (ANI): Union Minister Chirag Paswan alleged that the Congress party used the caste census as a political weapon to incite people's sentiments stating that if they wanted to do a caste-based census so badly, they should have done it earlier.
"Today, Rahul Gandhi wants to take credit for this, saying that this happened under my pressure. Your party's government remained in the centre for a long time. Leave the party aside, there have been three Prime Ministers from your family. If you wanted a caste-based census in the country so badly, then you should have got it done earlier. But you used it as a political weapon and only worked to incite people's sentiments," Paswan said, speaking to mediapersons here.
The Union Minister further applauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for introducing the system.
"Today, our government has fulfilled this demand. My Prime Minister is known for taking the right decisions at the right time. The opposition is saying that we have taken this decision in view of the Bihar elections, but if this decision had to be taken from the point of view of elections, then we would have taken this decision before the Lok Sabha elections..." he added.

He further added that several important issues on national security had to be worked upon, and assured that the PM would take all decisions based on the sentiments of the country.
"We have taken this decision, and there is still more work to be done. There are many important issues related to national security on which we have to work...my Prime Minister will definitely take every decision which is related to the sentiments of the country," he further added.
The Cabinet committee on Political Affairs, chaired by PM Modi, had decided to conduct a caste census along with the national census. However, a set date has not been announced by the government.
As per Article 246 of the Constitution of India, the Census is a Union subject listed at 69 in the Union List in the Seventh Schedule. (ANI)