Mahila Congress chief Alka Lamba slams Centre on atrocities on women, unemployment

Mahila Congress chief Alka Lamba hit out at the BJP-led Centre on Thursday over various issues, including atrocities on women and unemployment, and said a caste census will be conducted in the country as soon as the INDIA opposition bloc forms its government.Talking to reporters at the state headquarters of the Congress here, Lamba took a dig at the 10-year tenure of the BJP-led Centre, alleging that democracy and the Constitution have been shattered in the said period.

Mahila Congress chief Alka Lamba hit out at the BJP-led Centre on Thursday over various issues, including atrocities on women and unemployment, and said a caste census will be conducted in the country as soon as the INDIA opposition bloc forms its government.

Talking to reporters at the state headquarters of the Congress here, Lamba took a dig at the 10-year tenure of the BJP-led Centre, alleging that democracy and the Constitution have been shattered in the said period. She also said rampant unemployment has destroyed the dreams and future of the country's youngsters.

''Discrimination against the members of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities has increased. We had demanded a nationwide caste census but the demand was not accepted. The caste census will be conducted in the country as soon as the government of the INDIA bloc and Congress is formed,'' she said.

Lamba alleged that it has become a common practice to use central agencies, such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and income-tax department, to target opposition parties for illegally overthrowing elected governments.

Referring to a new law passed in Parliament, she said laws are being enacted by suspending the entire opposition from the House.

The Congress leader also alleged that by giving a ''clean chit'' to China over the neighbouring country's intrusion into Indian territory, national security has been put in serious danger.

''The social, economic and political life of the citizens has been destroyed through rhetoric, PR (public relations) stunts and the noise of events,'' she said.

On a question on the Congress's participation in the Ram temple's consecration ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22, Lamba said there should be a religion of politics but there should not be politics on religion. ''There should be no attempt to gain power by playing politics on religion and polarising votes,'' the Congress leader said.

She also pointed out that the ''Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra'', led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, will start from Manipur and reach Maharashtra via Gujarat.

The march is scheduled to start from Manipur on January 14 and conclude in Mumbai on March 20. During the journey of approximately 6,713 kilometres, the yatra will pass through 110 districts in 15 states.

Lamba said the Bharat Jodo Yatra of the Congress was a trip to connect India and ''we were successful in connecting the country and connecting it with the issues of the country'', adding that now, the word justice (''nyay'') has been added to this journey.

On the occasion, Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra slammed the BJP government in the state, claiming that it is being run from Delhi.

''The government is functioning on the basis of slips given from Delhi. This government is here only to talk and not for work,'' he said.

Rajasthan will not be allowed to follow the Gujarat model, Dotasra said.