Govt using caste census to deflect attention from Pahalgam attack: AAP MP

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Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh said the caste enumeration in the forthcoming census was announced by the government to deflect attention from the Pahalgam terror attack.

Singh told reporters at the residence of AAP national spokesperson Sarvesh Mishra in Panditpura village on Wednesday that the Aam Aadmi Party supports the caste census but the BJP government will forget about it after the Bihar elections.

Questioning the government's intent behind the caste census decision, the AAP leader compared it to the Women's Reservation Bill, saying "nothing has been done to implement it".

"Similarly, you've announced the caste census, but there is no budget allocation, no timeline. Once Bihar elections are over, you will forget about it," Singh said.

"The entire nation was waiting to see how the government would act to reclaim Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and eliminate terrorists. Instead, 26 unarmed and innocent tourists were killed. Terrorists challenged us on our own soil, and the government is trying to distract people by bringing up the caste census issue," he said.

Singh, a Rajya Sabha MP, said the country should know how many people belong to which caste so that benefits of government schemes can be allocated accordingly.

"But raising this issue at such a time is nothing but a diversion tactic. The public is being kept from questioning the government's inaction," the AAP leader said.

Singh said the terror attack in Pahalgam was an intelligence and security failure of the Modi government.

"More than 2,000 people were present in Pahalgam, and yet terrorists came and killed at will. This is a direct failure of the Modi government. The government must answer and take responsibility. Instead, the prime minister chose to leave an all-party meeting and campaign for elections in Bihar," he said.

"You should be fighting Pakistan, not YouTubers and journalists. FIRs are being filed against them, they are being jailed. Is this your priority?" Singh asked.

The Modi government must act to reclaim PoK and take strict action against terror outfits backed by Pakistan, Singh said. "PoK belongs to us. Our Parliament has passed a resolution to that effect.