"PM Modi following in the footsteps of Rahul Gandhi ji": Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

New Delhi [India], December 12 (ANI): After the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced the names of Chief Ministers in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury took a dig at the ruling party and claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "following in the footsteps" of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

"After Rahul ji spoke about caste census, now CMs (in Rajasthan, MP and Chhattisgarh ) are appointed keeping in mind the caste equation. Modi ji is now following in the footsteps of Rahul ji. This is an effect of demand for caste census," Chowdhury said.

"Whenever Rahul ji talks about something, Modi ji also adopts it and works towards implementing it," he added.

Earlier on Sunday, Vishnu Deo Sai, a tribal leader, was declared the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister. The next day, the BJP announced Mohan Yadav's name as the Madhya Pradesh CM, who is an OBC leader.

On Tuesday, Bhajanlal Sharma, a Brahmin leader, was picked by the party as the Rajasthan Chief Minister.

He won the Sanganer assembly seat with an impressive margin, securing 145,162 votes against his Indian National Congress (INC) opponent, Pushpendra Bhardwaj, who polled 97,081 votes.

The Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh CM-designates will take oaths on December 13.

As soon as the Bihar government in October announced the findings of the inaugural caste-based census, the chorus for a nationwide exercise by the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) has grown.

Earlier, Congress asked the centre to conduct caste-based census at all-India level as it is also among the demands of Congress and INDIA bloc.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been taking potshots at the BJP over the "lack of adequate representation of OBCs" in secretary-level posts at the Centre.

On the other hand, the BJP-led central government has been claiming that the caste census would create "division" in society.

 On BJP choosing tribal leader Vishnu Deo Sai as Chhattisgarh CM, former Union minister Arvind Netam said, "In the time of Congress, we used to say that there should be a tribal CM...This will send a message and it will have an effect in Jharkhand and Odisha too...."(ANI)