In the event that his party holds onto power in the state, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi pledged on Saturday to provide free education in all government schools and universities in Chhattisgarh and to pay tendu leaf collectors Rs 4,000 annually. Gandhi questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an election rally in the Kanker district’s Bhanupratappur assembly constituency, asking why the latter is afraid of a caste census if he often brings up the OBC (other backward class) in his speeches.
If the Congress is elected to power (at the center), he asserted, a caste census will be carried out nationwide. In the first round of the Chhattisgarh elections, which begins on November 7, polls will be held in 20 constituencies, including Bhanupratappur. On November 17, there will be a second phase. For you, we are going to take a significant step that we refer to as “KG to PG.” Students would receive free education at government institutions from KG (kindergarten) to PG (post-graduation) (assuming Congress retains power in state).
Gandhi said that they won’t have to pay anything at all. Gandhi pledged that under the Rajiv Gandhi Protsahan Yojana, tendu leave collectors would receive Rs 4,000 year if the Congress wins the state’s elections and forms the next administration. This is regarded as a significant announcement from the Bhanupratappur seat, which is located in the tribal-majority district of Bastar.
In support of a caste census, he stated, “OBCs need to become aware as they are being ditched. Narendra Modi ji uses OBC’s word in his every speech. That’s why I’m scared of the caste census.” Gandhi further declared that if the Congress was elected to power in Delhi (at the center), it would carry out a caste census throughout the nation. He stated, “We have already committed to this for Chhattisgarh.”
The BJP-led Centre, the Congress MP said, serves the interests of two or three industrialists. According to him, the Congress acts in the best interests of laborers, farmers, Dalits, and Adivasis. He asserted that the Congress had kept important pledges it had made prior to the most recent assembly elections in Chhattisgarh. He objected to the BJP using the word “vanvasi” for tribal people instead of “Adivasi,” calling it an insult to Adivasis and an attack on their language, culture, and history.
Gandhi paused in the middle of his address to move to the opposite corner of the platform while holding a water bottle, seemingly in response to a fainting person on the floor. Gandhi went back to the dais and inquired about the individual’s well-being.
