Udaipur (Rajasthan) [India], November 21 (ANI): The Congress party continues to stir the political cauldron by suggesting that it will conduct a caste-bases census wherever the party forms a government, with party leader Rahul Gandhi reiterating his commitment towards the survey in Rajsthan's Vallabhnagar.

Rahul Gandhi, while addressing a rally in Rajasthan Vallabhnagar ahead of assembly elections, said that the party, if voted to power will conduct the caste census soon after the elections and will protect the rights of unprivileged communities of the state.

"The country needs an X-ray to be done and the caste-based census is an x-ray. The BJP only thinks about big industrialists, but Congress will protect the rights of tribals," Rahul Gandhi said.

He was speaking in Vallabhnagar which is one of the 200 state assembly constituencies in Rajasthan and is a part of the Chittorgarh Lok Sabha constituency.

Rahul Gandhi also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of working for industrialist Gautam Adani round-the-clock.

"Earlier he used to say that 'I belong to OBC'. Since the day, I talked about caste census, the PM changed his speech and started saying that there is only one caste- that is poor. But he forgot to mention the other caste- the caste of billionaires. Adani and Ambani belong to another caste. They want all the money to be given to a handful of billionaires. Modi's job is to divert people's attention while Adani pickpockets, they are a team," the Wayanad MP said.

He also said that the system of the BJP is taking away people's attention from unemployment and inflation and shifting it to hatred.

"The question is, why is BJP spreading hatred in the country? I want to tell you two things, the reason for hatred is unemployment and inflation. The system of the BJP is taking away your attention from unemployment and inflation to hatred. The target of BJP and RSS is that the poor, labourers, farmers, tribals and Dalits be kept away from money. They want all the money to be given to a handful of billionaires..." he said.

Vallabhnagar Assembly constituency, is the seat where a triangular contest is expected between the Congress's Preeti Gajendra Shekhawat, the BJP's Udaylal Dangi and Deepinder Kunwar, wife of former Janata Sena Party MLA Randhir Singh Bhinder.

It falls under the Udaipur district and the South region of Rajasthan and is categorised as a rural seat.

Vallabhnagar assembly constituency has a total of 2,45,761 voters, including 1,24,977 male voters and 1,20,784 female voters, as per the election commission's data in 2018.

The Vallabhnagar assembly constituency has been a stronghold of Congress with the party winning nine of the 16 assembly elections held since 1952.

In 2018, the Vallabhnagar assembly constituency was won by Congress candidate Gajendra Singh Shaktawat.

The term of the 200-member Legislative Assembly of Rajasthan is scheduled to end on January 14, 2024. The last time Assembly elections were held in the state was in December 2018.

Of the 200 assembly seats in the state, 199 will be contested on November 25.

The BJP won 163 seats in the 2013 Legislative Assembly elections and formed the government in Rajasthan. In the 2018 assembly elections, the Congress won 99 seats, while the BJP won 73 seats in the 200-member House. (ANI)