Jaipur, November 21: A war of words erupted between Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and veteran Congress leader Jairam Ramesh after the grand-old party promised reservations to minorities on the basis of a caste census in its poll manifesto for the November 25 Rajasthan elections. Ramesh had earlier accused Shekhawat of spreading confusion over caste census. Soon after the announcement on Tuesday, Shekhawat told IANS that caste census cannot be carried out by the Congress government as it does not come under the state government's purview. He also accused the Ashok Gehlot-led state government of "dividing the nation". Rajasthan Assembly Elections 2023: 326 Candidates Face Criminal Cases; 61 From BJP, Says ADR Report

Later, Jairam Ramesh launched a broadside against Shekhawat over twitter and said, "Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is spreading confusion regarding caste census." "Had the Centre conducted a caste census at the national level, then there would not have been a need to conduct it separately at the state level. Why has the central government not got it done yet?", he asked. "As far as constitutional provisions are concerned, the Supreme Court had refused to ban the caste-based survey being conducted by the Bihar government. Despite that, a caste-based survey was successfully conducted in the state and the data made public," said Ramesh on X. Rajasthan Assembly Elections 2023: Will Review Petrol, Diesel Rates If BJP Forms Government in State, Says PM Narendra Modi

On Wednesday, Shekhawat said, "Jairam Ramesh ji, I thought that you are one of the few knowledgeable leaders of Congress and would give thoughtful statements but you do not know the difference between caste census and caste survey. Before using the name of the Honorable Court in your politics, you should have improved your common sense."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 22, 2023 12:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).