1,202 words, 6 minutes read time.
New Delhi [India], April 30 (ANI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Wednesday that the party supports the government’s decision to conduct caste enumeration during the forthcoming population census, but it should specify a timeline.
Addressing a press conference here, Rahul Gandhi, who is the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, said Telangana has provided a model for conducting caste census and it can provide a blueprint for the exercise at the national level.
He said the Congress has been demanding a caste census and the government had “suddenly after 11 years” taken this decision.
“We had said in the Parliament that we will make Caste Census happen. We had also said that we would scrap the 50% cap, the artificial wall that is in place. Narendra Modi used to say that there are just four castes. Don’t know what happened but suddenly after 11 years, Caste Census has been announced,” Rahul Gandhi said.
“We completely support it but we want a timeline. We want to know that by when this will happen. This is the first step. Telangana has become a model in Caste Census and it can become a blueprint. We offer our support to the government in designing the Caste Census… There are two examples – Bihar’s and Telangana’s and there is a vast difference between the two,” he added.
The Congress leader said the caste census is the first step, and there is a need to bring a new development paradigm.
“I would like to reiterate that caste census is the first step. Our vision is of bringing a new development paradigm through Caste Census. Not just reservations but we are also asking central questions — be it OBCs, Dalits, Adivasis, what is their participation in this country? Through Caste Census it will be found, but we have to go ahead of Caste Census… We had said one more thing, Congress had raised one more point, it was mentioned in the manifesto as well — Article 15(5) — reservation in private educational institutions. This is already a law. We want the NDA-BJP Government to begin implementing it,” he added.
The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday decided to include caste enumeration in the upcoming census.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated at a media briefing following the cabinet meeting that the decision demonstrates the present government’s commitment to the holistic interests and values of the nation and society.
As per Article 246 of the Constitution of India, the Census is a Union subject listed at 69 in the Union List in the Seventh Schedule.
“While some states have conducted surveys to enumerate castes, these surveys have varied in transparency and intent, with some conducted purely from a political angle, creating doubts in society. Considering all these circumstances, and to ensure that our social fabric does not come under political pressure, it has been decided that caste enumeration should be included in the main census instead of being conducted as a separate survey,” Vaishnaw said.
“This will ensure that society becomes stronger economically and socially, and the country’s progress continues without hindrance. When a provision of 10 percent reservation was made for the economically weaker sections of society, it did not create tension in any section of society,” he added.
The Union Minister said caste was excluded from all census operations conducted since independence.
“In 2010, then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh assured the Lok Sabha that the matter of caste census would be considered in the Cabinet. A Group of Ministers was formed to deliberate on this subject, and most political parties recommended conducting a caste census. Despite this, the previous government opted for a survey instead of a caste census, known as the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC),” he said. (ANI)
“Better late than never”: Jairam Ramesh after Union Cabinet’s decision to include Caste enumeration in forthcoming census
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh took a dig at the BJP-led Central government over the Union Cabinet’s decision that caste enumeration will be included in the forthcoming census.
In a post on X, Jairam said that this was already said in the recent Congress resolution, passed in Ahmedabad.
“This was said in the recent Congress resolution on social justice, which was passed in Ahmedabad on 9 April 2025. Better late than never,” the Congress MP said.
The Congress resolution on social justice, passed during the AICC convention in Ahmedabad stated, “In the year 1995, the Congress party took a significant step towards social justice through the First Constitutional Amendment. Now, this responsibility has been taken up by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and champion of social justice Rahul Gandhi. To further strengthen the foundation of social justice, a caste-based census is essential. The findings of the Socio-Economic Caste Census conducted by the Congress in 2011 have still not been published by the Modi government.”
The resolution further emphasized that the Congress party is committed to enacting a central law to give legal status to the SC-ST sub-plan and to ensure budgetary allocation based on the population of these communities.
“We are determined to remove the artificially imposed 50 per cent cap on reservations for SC, ST, and OBC communities so that they can receive the full benefits of social justice. The Congress party is also committed to implementing the constitutional right to reservation for SCs, STs, and OBCs in private educational institutions, as provided under Article 15(5) of the Constitution. Our commitment to the welfare of these deprived and oppressed sections of society is unwavering — yesterday, today, and tomorrow,” the resolution stated.
“Time and again, PM Modi kept avoiding implementing this”: Mallikarjun Kharge after Cabinet’s decision on Caste census
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday welcomed the Union Cabinet’s decision to include caste in the upcoming census. He described it as a long-overdue step supported by the Congress party and its INDI alliance partners.
In a post on X, Kharge called the move a step towards social justice, but also questioned the government’s seriousness due to the low budget allocated for the census.
“The Indian National Congress had continuously raised the demand for caste census, whose most vocal supporter was Rahul Gandhi. Today the Modi government has announced to conduct caste census along with the Census. This is the right step which we were demanding from the very first day,” Kharge said.
“I raised this issue several times in Parliament and also wrote a letter to the Prime Minister. The leaders of the INDIA alliance have also demanded caste census several times and this became an important issue in the Lok Sabha elections. Time and again, Prime Minister Modi kept avoiding implementing this policy of social justice and falsely accused the opposition of dividing the society,” he said.
Kharge further said that meaningful social justice and empowerment cannot be ensured without a caste census.
“There is only an allocation of Rs 575 crore for the census in this year’s budget, so it is a valid question as to how and when the government will complete it. The Congress Party demands that the Modi government should, as soon as possible, make budget provisions and start the work of census and caste census with complete transparency,” Mallikarjun Kharge said.
.
About The Author
