Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday asserted that a countrywide caste census would be conducted if the party comes to power at the Centre in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

While addressing a rally as part of 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' in West Bengal's Malda district, Gandhi accused the RSS and the BJP of propagating hatred and violence.

"We want social justice and the biggest aspect of delivering it will be a countrywide caste census. After we come to power at the Centre, we will conduct a caste census across the nation to find out the number of Dalits, tribals and people from other backward communities," he said.

Gandhi had in neighbouring Bihar on Tuesday alleged that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was "feeling trapped" after getting a caste survey conducted in the state under pressure from the Mahagathbandhan partners and the BJP "provided him a way out".

His remark berating the JD(U) president came just two days after Kumar returned to the BJP-led NDA, dealing a severe blow to the opposition bloc INDIA of which Kumar was regarded as one of the architects.

Accusing the BJP and RSS of propagating hatred and violence, Gandhi underscored the essence of the yatra, stating, "The word 'nyay' (justice) has been attached to the yatra because injustice prevails across the country." "The BJP government has been meting out injustice to people across the country, be it youth, women or the working class," he said.

Amid differences with TMC over seat-sharing in West Bengal for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Gandhi had on Sunday in northern West Bengal called on the people of the state to spearhead an "ideological battle" against prevailing injustices in the nation.

Expressing gratitude to the people of West Bengal, Gandhi said, "The people of West Bengal are known for being ideologically oriented. It is your responsibility to stand against the ideology of hate. Personalities such as Rabindranath Tagore, Subhas Chandra Bose and Amartya Sen have Bengal origins." Gandhi's statement closely followed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's announcement that her party would contest the Lok Sabha polls alone in the state.

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