In a sharp attack on the Congress without naming it, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on onday
said the opposition party has played with the emotions of the poor and divided the country on caste lines for six decades — a “sin” which it is committing now as well.

Modi’s statement came hours after the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar released
findings of its caste survey months ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, which
revealed OBCs and EBCs constitute a whopping 63 per cent of the state’s total
population.

The Congress is a constituent of the ruling bloc in Bihar and has promised a castebased census in the country if voted to power at the Centre. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, addressing a rally in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh’s Shajapur district two days ago, said if his party came to power at the Centre, it would conduct a caste-based census to benefit all sections of society, particularly Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the country.

“Enemies of development got 6 decades that means 60 years (to rule at Centre). They
failed to deliver the goods. But in nine years (of BJP rule at Centre) enormous development has taken place… and the world is singing the praises of India. When so much work can take place in just nine years, why the same could not take place in all those years?” Modi asked, without naming the Congress.