“Insult me as much as you like, but we will get the bill passed”: Rahul Gandhi Accuses Anurag Thakur of Insulting Him in Lok Sabha, Vows to Push for Caste Census Bill

Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition on Tuesday accused BJP MP Anurag Thakur of "insulting and abusing" him during a discussion on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha. Gandhi's accusations came after Thakur made a remark about those advocating for a caste census. “You can insult me as much as you like, but we will get the bill passed in the Parliament,” asserted Rahul Gandhi in a rebuttal to the BJP MP’s jibe.

"The prince from this party will now be lecturing us? First, he has to understand what LoP stands for - it is the Leader of the Opposition and not Leader of Propaganda. All I want to say is that he should stop spreading lies. There is a lot of talk about OBC and caste census. He whose caste is unknown is talking about a census?" said Anurag Thakur on the floor of the house. "You can insult me as much as you like, but we will get the bill passed in the Parliament,” said Rahul Gandhi, hitting back at Anurag Thakur.

Thakur later clarified his statement, insisting that he had not named anyone. "I had said that someone who doesn’t know about caste talks about census. I did not name anyone," Thakur stated. Gandhi, however, accused Thakur of using abusive language and insulting him but emphasized that he did not seek an apology. "Whoever raises the issues of Adivasi, Dalit, and the backward is abused. I will happily accept these abuses. Anurag Thakur has abused me and insulted me, but I do not want any apology from him," said the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

A caste-based census was a key promise of the Congress party for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. During the campaign, Rahul Gandhi referred to the census as an "X-ray of India," emphasizing the lack of precise data on the number of backward classes, Dalits, and tribals in the country. He criticized the BJP government for its reluctance to gather caste data and vowed that, if elected, Congress would conduct a comprehensive caste census to determine the demographics of various caste groups and drive significant change. Conversely, the BJP has accused the Congress of seeking to deepen caste divisions through this initiative.​