Will proportional representation work in Congress after caste survey, Ravishankar Prasad asks

Attacking the Congress and other Opposition parties on the issue of nepotism, former Union Minister and senior BJP leader Ravishankar Prasad on Friday asked if proportional representation would be seen in their intra-party ranks if a caste census is conducted. 

Explained | The impact of the Bihar caste survey

“If there is a caste census, will the idea of ‘Jiski jitni sankhya bhari, uski utni hissedari’ [the greater the number, the greater the share], be implemented within the Congress or not? Or the same system will continue — Indira-ji, Rajiv-ji, Sonia-ji, Rahul-ji and Priyanka-ji,” he said at a press conference in Raipur, where he alleged that it was one family (the Gandhis) running the show in the Congress. Mr. Prasad also cited examples of one family controlling affairs and given key posts in the respective party and provincial government, such as the Yadav families of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

On the findings of the caste survey in his home State of Bihar, which has fuelled the debate over a caste census in the country, Mr. Prasad said alleged that the numbers of Extremely Backward Classes had been deliberately shown to be less their actual composition.   

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On his party’s poll prospects in Chhattisgarh, Mr. Prasad claimed that the Bhupesh Baghel government would be voted out like the Congress government of Ajit Jogi when he [Mr. Prasad] had campaigned in Chhattisgarh.  He said that the Congress was delaying its list as they were unsure of projecting Mr. Baghel as their chief ministerial candidate, adding that the CM was even considering changing his seat in the upcoming elections. 

Identifying corruption as the main issue, the former Union Minister said his party would raise this very effectively and the CM would have to answer it. He said Mr. Baghel did not trust anyone with regard to corruption except those closest to him. “When it came to the coal scam, it came to light that the Deputy Secretary closest to his office was in jail. Two Collectors each are in jail. Many other people are also in jail,” he said.