New Delhi, Apr 30 (PTI) The Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday accused the BJP-led Central government of using the announcement of caste census to divert public attention from the recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.

The BJP slammed the AAP, saying its leaders should desist from making "irresponsible" statements on issues related to national security.

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Addressing a press conference, AAP's Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj said, "When the time came to take action on Pakistan, you did not take the action but brought out the issue of caste census. The whole country is with you and wants action on the terrorists."

Delhi BJP president charged that AAP leaders including Bharadwaj, were commenting "irresponsibly" over the Phalagam terror attack.

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"It is deeply unfortunate that at a time when 1.4 billion Indians are standing with the Government of India after the Pahalgam massacre, a few Aam Aadmi Party leaders - frustrated by their electoral defeat - are issuing statements in an attempt to stay in the news," he charged.

AAP's media in-charge Anurag Dhanda echoed similar sentiments, alleging that the move was aimed at distracting people from the April 22 terror attack.

"This is just to distract the people from the Pahalgam terror attack and use it for political gains, as all the opposition parties have been demanding the caste census for long. The BJP is just using the sensitive issue of caste census to distract the public discourse," he said.

Sachdeva hit back saying it would be better if AAP leaders who lost elections recently in Delhi and Haryana, understood that matters concerning the nation and the security of its people are not topics for political discussion.

"It would be wise for Delhi's AAP leaders to refrain from commenting on issues related to national and international security - otherwise, they may soon lose even the opportunity to remain in opposition in the near future," Sachdeva said.

Earlier in the day, the BJP-led Centre announced that caste enumeration would be part of the upcoming census exercise and assured that it would be conducted in a "transparent" manner.

It also criticised opposition parties for allegedly using the issue as a political tool.

Opposition parties, including the Congress, have long been demanding a nationwide caste census. States like Bihar, Telangana, and Karnataka have already carried out their own caste-based surveys.

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