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The Congress party has reiterated its support for a nationwide caste census, with its top leaders urging the central government to act swiftly on the long-standing demand. This development follows the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs’ decision, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to include caste-based enumeration in the upcoming national population census.
Kharge Calls for Budget Allocation and Immediate Implementation
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge emphasized that the party has consistently pushed for a caste census and now expects the government to follow through decisively.
“I hope they will allot the budget, start the caste and general census, and release the report. It’s a long-standing demand of ours…They didn’t do it. Two years back, I wrote a letter for the caste census and the purpose that it will serve,” Kharge said.
His remarks align with the broader sentiment within the Congress leadership, which sees the census as a crucial tool for ensuring social justice and equitable representation.
Rahul Gandhi Points to Telangana as a Model
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi also expressed support, but demanded clarity from the BJP-led government on when the census would be conducted.
“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,” Gandhi said.
He noted that the state of Telangana has already implemented a successful caste census and suggested it could serve as a national model.
“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.
A Call for Broader Social and Economic Reforms
Gandhi went further, stating that the caste census should be seen as a starting point for deeper reforms that address systemic inequalities.
“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 stated.
Following the cabinet meeting, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw remarked that the decision to include caste data shows the government’s commitment to inclusive governance and societal values.
(With Inputs From ANI)
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