Raipur: AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Friday pledged to conduct caste census in Chhattisgarh if Congress retained power in the state in the year-end assembly elections.
She also heaped praises on chief minister Bhupesh Baghel for ensuring economic development of the rural Chhattisgarh particularly the insurgency-hit Bastar.
Speaking at an event in Kanker in Bastar, Ms Gandhi said that in the caste census done in Bihar, it was found that 84 percent of the population in that state belonged to OBC, SC and ST.
But, there was no proportionate representation of these categories of people in the big posts in the Bihar administration, she said.
A similar caste census in Chhattisgarh would help gather the exact data on the populations of different categories of people in the state to ensure that they get their rights proportionate to their populations, she said.
The Congress leader praised Mr Baghel for ensuring development of the rural economy in the state.
She said that the crop loans of the farmers were waived in the state and money was put in their pockets under various schemes of the state government.
She said that Bastar which was infamous for Leftwing insurgency earlier has now turned into a tourist destination.
Chhattisgarh model of development should be implemented in other states, she said.
She slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for saying that the Centre bought every single paddy from Chhattisgarh and said that in that case why the Centre was not procuring paddy from Uttar Pradesh.
Ms Gandhi accused Mr Modi of ignoring the welfare of the poor and the government employees while making policies to benefit the industrialists.
She said that there was no need to spend Rs 20,000 crore to build the new parliament building when the existing one was in good condition.
She said that Mr Modi was making new buildings to enhance his aan, baan and shaan (prestige).
