Cong’s Alok Sharma accuses RSS of ‘hypocrisy’ over caste census

New Delhi, Sep 5 (IANS) Congress National Secretary Alok Sharma on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), accusing it of ‘hypocrisy’ for its stance on caste-based census.Criticising the RSS for its ‘contradictory’ stance, Sharma told IANS, “The RSS has always done the opposite of what it says. One should read the articles published in ‘Panchjanya’ (a weekly magazine published by RSS). They reveal their hypocrisy. They are opposed to reservations, opposed to the Constitution, and somewhere they are also strongly opposed to caste census.”The Congress spokesperson also emphasised the party’s commitment to conducting a caste-based census.”Rahul Gandhi has always advocated for it, and the Congress manifesto has consistently included the need for a socio-economic and caste-based census to ensure that the government schemes are implemented correctly to benefit everyone,” Sharma told IANS.On the observations made by the Supreme Court on the controversial ‘bulldozer justice’ in the country, he expressed hope for a timely and appropriate decision by the apex court.”We welcome the Supreme Court’s observations on ‘bulldozer justice’. If one person is accused or even convicted, the entire family should not be punished. We believe the Supreme Court will soon decide what it feels is appropriate,” he said.The Congress leader also condemned the ‘divisive’ policies being implemented at the local level, particularly by the law enforcement and administrative officials.”The divisive policies being practised by the SHOs and SDMs should stop. It should be the court, not the BJP, that decides whether a house will be demolished and what punishment should be given,” he added.Commenting on the Congress meeting held earlier on Tuesday, Sharma shared that senior party leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and K.C. Venugopal met with all the secretaries of the party to express their gratitude and emphasise the importance of raising the voice of the poor and protecting the Constitution.”The meeting focused on these aspects… The attendees were advised to spend 15 days in one state, which was the core message conveyed,” Sharma said.–IANSsd/arm