Siddu to be Congress mascot for backward classes sammelan today

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will be sharing the dais with Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, at the AICC Backward Classes advisory council's 'Bhagidari Nyay Sammelan' at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi on Friday.

- DEVARAJ B HIREHALLI @ Bengaluru:

He is likely to be projected as the Congress party's face of backward classes at the national level, and also its mascot. The sammelan is crucial in the light of the Bihar assembly polls in November and December, and the grand old party is likely to send out a message through Siddaramaiah that it is committed to the uplift of backward classes.

The Siddaramaiah government has decided to conduct the caste census from September 22; the decision was taken at the behest of Rahul Gandhi, who has been vociferous in insisting that the Modi government should conduct the caste census at the national level.