Rahul Gandhi to Visit Bihar on April 7, Leading Push for Caste Census

Rahul Gandhi is set to visit poll-bound Bihar on April 7 to strengthen the Congress party’s appeal among the backward communities and lead its campaign for a caste census. This will be Gandhi’s third visit to Bihar this year, and it comes just one day before the Congress’ two-day AICC session in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad.

The visit follows a recent meeting between the party’s leadership and Bihar’s local leaders at Indira Bhawan in New Delhi. A Congress insider explained that the visit is part of a well-planned strategy, with Gandhi focusing on reaching out to the backward communities in Bihar. The party is expected to launch a vigorous campaign advocating for a caste census in the state.

A key component of the party’s strategy is the recent appointment of Dalit leader Rajesh Kumar as the new state chief, which the Congress hopes will help consolidate the votes of Bihar’s backward communities. The party plans to push for a caste survey similar to the one conducted in Telangana, where the state government recently passed a bill granting 42% quota to backward communities in government jobs and educational institutions.

Congress aims to inform the people of Bihar that if the party comes to power, it will conduct a fresh caste survey, similar to Telangana’s model. Traditionally, Bihar’s backward communities have been divided between Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JDU and Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD, but Congress hopes to win over these communities with its strong stance on the caste census issue.

Rahul Gandhi, who has long advocated for a national caste census, will also attend the ‘Save Constitution’ conclave in Patna on April 7. He has previously spoken about the importance of a caste census to address inequalities in India and has emphasized how it would provide a clearer understanding of the systemic control over key sectors of the economy and society.