Will conduct caste census in MP after winning polls: Mallikarjun Kharge

Sagar: The Congress will conduct a caste census in Madhya Pradesh after winning the assembly polls and establish a university in the name of Sant Ravidas, said party president Mallikarjun Kharge, accusing the regime at the Centre of wishing to change the Constitution.

He was addressing a public rally in Sagar in MP’s impoverished Bundelkhand region on Tuesday.

Assembly elections are expected to be held in the BJP-ruled state at the end of the year.

“Some people are trying to change the Constitution. This is not possible because 140 crore people of the country are in support of the protection of the Constitution,” Kharge said remembering Dr BR Ambedkar, who was born in MP's Mhow.

Kharge criticised the ruling BJP for remembering Sant Ravidas, a revered figure for Scheduled Castes, during elections.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently laid the foundation of a Rs 100 crore memorial-cum-temple of Sant Ravidas in Sagar district.

As per the 2011 Census, the population of Dalits in MP was 1.13 crore.

“Modi ji has been in power for the last nine years while Chouhan (Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan) has ruled the state for the last 18 years. They remembered Ravidas only at the time of the polls”, Kharge said.

Citing a newspaper report, Kharge claimed that the BJP demolished a temple of Sant Ravidas in Delhi.

He announced that the Congress will set up a university in the name of Sant Ravidas in Sagar district if voted to power in Madhya Pradesh.

Kharge also said that Congress will conduct a caste-based census in MP after returning to power.

Referring to the crisis in Manipur, Kharge accused PM Modi of not doing “anything” to control violence in the northeastern state.

Modi spoke on the Manipur issue at 10.30 am on the day when the Parliament session was to start at 11 am, Kharge said. Otherwise, he maintained silence for more than three months despite the violence in the troubled state, he said.

He also alleged that the BJP government has not implemented the Bundelkhand package approved on the recommendation of the senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Responding to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who recently asked Congress to tell people what it had done in its 53-year rule in MP, Kharge listed out several institutions, including Bhilai Steel Plant, IIM and IIT in Indore, AIIMS in Bhopal and Chambal Ghati Project.

He said that Narendra Modi ruled Gujarat as CM for 13 years and now nine years as PM but the children in his own state are still not getting enough nutritious meals.

The Congress chief accused the ruling party in MP of disrespecting the public mandate and said his party won last time and Nath was the CM but the BJP “snatched” the government.

The BJP talks about democracy but “purchases (elected representatives) and threatens by misusing the CBI, ED and other agencies” to form governments, Kharge alleged.

He termed MP’s BJP government “illegal”, claiming that it was formed by “stealing” legislators. “Despite this, they (BJP) claim that they formed the government on principles.” Like Madhya Pradesh, the BJP had formed the government in Karnataka, he said.

“Modi ji, BJP’s chief ministers and leaders campaigned extensively in Karnataka to protect their government but people voted them out,” he said.

He said it seems Modi can’t digest his food without abusing the Congress.

Kharge said that Congress brought democracy and independence to the country.

Modi is the PM, Amit Shah is the home minister and Shivraj Singh Chouhan is the chief minister because the Congress has “protected democracy”, he said.

Kharge objected to BJP’s barbs on Rahul Gandhi and called his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ foot march successful.

The Congress chief reiterated his party’s promises to MP voters that include an cooking gas cylinder for Rs 500, farm loan waiver, monthly payment of Rs 1,500 to eligible women, concession in electricity bills, and the old pension scheme for government employees.

Kharge also attacked the Centre and state regimes over their promises of “2 crore jobs”, unemployment, inflation and doubling of farmers’ income.

The senior Congress leader also mentioned the "Sidhi urination" case and asked the BJP which party the accused belonged to. The case was about a man urinating on a tribal youth in Sidhi district which triggered massive outrage.

Sagar, the venue of Kharge’s rally, is a part of the Bundelkhand region in north-east MP.

It has six assembly seats reserved for SCs, and the BJP won five of them in the 2018 state polls, namely Bina, Naryoli, Jatara, Chandala and Hatta, while the Congress managed to get Gunnor.

Bundelkhand comprises Sagar, Chattarpur, Tikamgarh, Nimari, Damoh and Panna districts, with 26 assembly seats, of which 15 were won by the BJP in the last state polls, while the Congress got nine and one each was won by Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party.