"Victory of Rahul Gandhi": Congress MP Imran Masood after Centre's decision on caste census

Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], May 1 (ANI): A day after the Centre announced that caste data will be recorded in the forthcoming census, Congress MP Imran Masood called the Centre's decision as Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi's "victory."
Speaking to ANI, Masood said, "This is the victory of Rahul Gandhi, the government should not play on this. They should tell what all issues will be included in the census... It has been so many days since the Pahalgam attack. Till when will the government do whitewashing and meetings on meetings? The entire country and the opposition stand with you. Take action like Indira Gandhi..."
Earlier today, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh, echoing party leader Rahul Gandhi's statement, criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for just providing a "headline without a deadline."
"Like what Rahul Gandhi said yesterday, 'headline toh de diya, lekin deadline kaha hai?' Our PM is an expert in giving headlines without deadlines. He said that caste will be involved, and Rahul Gandhi asked for a roadmap for it... We have been asking for it for the last six years," he said.
Addressing a press conference, Ramesh questioned the government's intent and preparedness, pointing to inadequate budget allocations for the operation and a lack of clarity on implementation details.
He highlighted discrepancies in funding, noting that the budget allocated to the census commissioner's office for this year was Rs 575 crore, which contradicts PM Modi's 2019 claim of requiring Rs 8254 crore for the national census.
"In 2025-26, the census commissioner's office in the Home Ministry, which has been given the responsibility of conducting the caste census, was allocated Rs 575 crore in the budget. But on 24 December 2019, PM Narendra Modi's government said that Rs 8254 crore is required for the national census... So, what is the purpose and the intent? Only a headline? No details. No Budget... This is the reality," he stated.
Meanwhile, Congress workers in Hyderabad celebrated and showered milk over the posters of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and party MP Rahul Gandhi, along with Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy as a gesture of reverence and gratitude after the Centre announced that the forthcoming population census will include a caste census. (ANI)