It is a miracle that Congress party is now pushing for the nation-wide caste census as it has realized that it’s backward class vote bank has diminished and they won’t be able to win without their support, Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said on Saturday.

The ties between Congress and Samajwadi Party – both INDIA block partners – have deteriorated after their alliance failed to materialize in Madhya Pradesh where assembly elections will take place on November 17.

Speaking to media in UP’s Hardoi, Yadav said, “It is the same Congress party that did not give the numbers of the caste census earlier. Now everyone knows that until and unless you don’t have the support of the backward castes and tribes, you won’t succeed.”

“It’s a miracle that now the Congress party wants a caste census. Congress party is now aware that the vote they were searching for is not with them anymore,” he added.

Earlier on Friday, Akhilesh Yadav accused the Congress of “betrayal” in Madhya Pradesh and said that if this confusion prevails, the INDIA alliance would never be able to defeat the BJP.

“If Congress didn’t want to give seats (in MP), then they should have said it before. Today, SP is fighting only on seats where it has its own organisation. Now after Madhya Pradesh, I know that the INDIA alliance is for the (parliamentary) elections at the national level.

“If Congress continues to behave like this, then who will stand with them? If we will fight against the BJP with confusion in our minds, then we won’t succeed,” said Akhilesh Yadav.

The Congress party has been pushing for a nationwide caste census to ensure social justice. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has given a slogan “jitni aabadi, utna haq” – which means the rights shall be given in proportion to the population.

This follows the release of Caste Survey data by the Bihar government with figures that may have ramifications for the Lok Sabha polls next year, showing that Other Backward Castes (OBC) and Extremely Backward Classes (EBC) together account for 63 per cent of the state’s population.

(With agency inputs)