New Delhi, March 15 BJP leader G. V. L. Narasimha Rao sharply criticised the Congress-led Telangana government and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, for involving French economist Thomas Piketty in the state's caste census study.
Rao accused Congress of endangering India's sensitive demographic data and questioned the motive behind involving a foreign economist in such a significant matter for just political benefits.
In a video message, Rao slammed the Telangana government's decision to include Piketty in an expert committee to analyse the caste census.
"While this may seem like an academic exercise, it is not. The move is part of a sinister agenda.
Rao further stated that such actions could destabilise the country, warning that the data could be misused to defame India on the global stage.
He further raised concerns about how this could be part of a broader effort to push political narratives, using foreign expertise to validate ideas that align with Congress' political goals.
He also directed his criticism towards the LoP, asking, "Rahul Gandhi, will you compromise India’s demographic data for political gain? Will you endanger the country’s future just to serve your political interests?"
Rao accused Gandhi of using every opportunity to criticise India, both domestically and abroad, including seeking foreign assistance to undermine the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He claimed that Congress leaders had even gone to Pakistan seeking help to unseat Modi.
The BJP leader also criticised Piketty’s involvement due to his advocacy for a minimum income guarantee in Congress’s 2019 manifesto, arguing that this proposal, like the caste census, served the party’s political interests.
"This French economist has his own agendas, which align with Congress' political strategy," Rao stated.
Rao demanded that the Congress party apologise to the people of India for jeopardising sensitive national data.
He urged the party to stop handing over crucial demographic and social data to foreign economists simply to fit their political narratives.
"Rahul Gandhi has been spreading lies and dangerous, untrustworthy narratives," Rao said, calling for an immediate retraction of such actions.
The BJP leader concluded by accusing Gandhi of seeking foreign validation for his politically motivated theories.
"It’s clear that Rahul Gandhi now needs foreign validation to support his concocted ideas," he stated.
He called on the Congress party to acknowledge its mistake and correct its actions, warning that failing to do so would lead the people of India to view this as another attempt by the Congress to destabilise the country.
The Congress-led Telangana government has roped in French economist Thomas Piketty as a member of an 11-member expert committee to analyse and interpret the data collected during the recent caste census in the state. The expert group will submit its report to the Telangana government within a month.
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