Sat Mar 15 21:00:00 UTC 2025: ## BJP Accuses Congress of Anti-National Sentiment Over Hiring of Foreign Expert for Caste Survey Data Analysis
**NEW DELHI, March 16, 2025** – The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a scathing attack on the Congress party Saturday, questioning the Telangana government’s decision to engage French economist Thomas Piketty in analyzing data from the state’s caste survey. The BJP alleges the move is anti-national and displays a lack of trust in Indian expertise.
BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi criticized the Congress’s pattern of seeking foreign input, suggesting a consistent disregard for Indian capabilities. He questioned the need to involve a foreign expert when qualified Indian economists are available. Concerns were also raised about Piketty’s economic model, which has faced international criticism and whose tax proposals are seen as potentially harmful to the middle class.
G.V.L. Narasimha Rao, another BJP leader, echoed these sentiments, accusing the Congress of a long-standing belief in India’s supposed inability to govern or defend itself. He warned of the potential for data distortion to fit a “globalist narrative,” further emphasizing the BJP’s concerns about the implications of handing sensitive demographic information to a foreign national. The BJP’s statements highlight a growing political controversy surrounding the Telangana caste survey and its methodology.
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