Oppn dividing society on caste lines, says PM on day Bihar released caste census findings

Gwalior, Oct 2 (PTI) In a sharp attack on the Congress without naming it, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday 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 caste-based 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.