"Peddler of liars, factory of fake news": Shahzad Poonawalla slams Congress over caste census remarks
New Delhi [India], June 17 (ANI): Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) spokesperson Shahzad Poonawalla on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Congress, accusing the party of spreading fake news and lies on the issue of caste census and India's global diplomatic matters.
His remarks came amid an ongoing political debate over the central government's stand on caste-based data collection.
In a briefing, Poonawalla said, 'Congress is a peddler of liars and a factory of fake news... Lying has become their characteristic... Their lies have been exposed -- first that India was not invited to G7 summit, and second that Pakistan's Asim Munir has been invited to the US Army Day and that it was a failure of India's policies.'
The BJP leader further accused Congress of deliberately misleading the public over the government's stand on the caste census. He said, 'Now Congress is on another lie. They are saying that the central government is taking a U-turn on the caste census... Various press releases of the government say that the caste census will be done.'
He also alleged that Congress has a history of neglecting the rights of the Other Backwards Classes (OBCs). 'Congress is spreading misinformation because it is in their DNA to take away the rights of the OBC,' Poonawalla added.
The statement came as political tensions remained high over the caste census demand, with the Congress accusing the BJP of avoiding concrete commitments, while the BJP maintained that the government has been transparent about its position.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed preparations for the upcoming Census of India, which is now officially set to include caste enumeration, as per the official statement from the Ministry of Home Affairs. The minister hailed this move as a 'historic decision' that corrected a 'historical wrong.'
The notification to conduct the Census was published in the official Gazette on Monday, following a high-level meeting held in Delhi, where the Home Minister reviewed the plan along with the Union Home Secretary, Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (RG&CCI), and other senior officials.
The Population Census 2027 will begin with a reference date of March 1, 2027, for most parts of the country. The reference date for snow-bound and non-synchronous areas such as Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand will be October 1, 2026.
According to the official statement, around 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors and 1.3 lakh Census functionaries will be deployed for the exercise. This will be the first fully digital Census, using mobile apps and offering a self-enumeration option to citizens.
The last Census was conducted in 2011. A new round scheduled for 2021 was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, despite all initial preparations being completed. (ANI)
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