Rahul dares PM to make 2011 caste census data public

NEW DELHI, APRIL 17: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to release the 2011 caste-based census data in the public domain and also demanded the 50 per cent cap on reservation be removed.

The Congress leader claimed there are only 7 per cent other backward castes, Dalits and tribals as secretaries in the central government.

This is Gandhi’s first rally in Karnataka since he was disqualified from Parliament after being convicted in a defamation case last month.

The Congress-led UPA regime had compiled the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) in 2011. The reports from the census have been published except that of the caste data.

The 50 per cent ceiling refers to Supreme Court judgments pointing out that the overall reservation in government jobs and education for various communities should not breach the mark although there are exceptions with some states crossing the figure.

-PTI