Greater Noida (National Desk): Union Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to include caste enumeration in the upcoming census. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday welcomed this decision and demanded a clear deadline for the implementation of caste census.
Rahul Gandhi said, “We completely support it, but we want a timeline. We want to know by when this will happen. This is the first step. Telangana has become a model in the Caste Census and it can become a blueprint. We offer our support to the Govt in designing the Caste Census…There are two examples – Bihar’s and Telangana’s and there is a vast difference between the two.”
LIVE: Press Conference | AICC Office, New Delhi https://t.co/DwEZrmT1aC
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 30, 2025
Senior BJP leader and Home Minister Amit Shah writes, “The Modi government, committed to social justice, has taken a historic decision today. In the CCPA meeting held today under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, a message of strong commitment towards social equality and rights of every section has been given by deciding to include caste census in the upcoming census. The Congress and its allies opposed the caste census for decades while in power and played politics over it while in the opposition. This decision will empower all economically and socially backward classes, promote inclusion and pave new paths for the progress of the deprived.”
सामाजिक न्याय के लिए संकल्पित मोदी सरकार ने आज एक ऐतिहासिक निर्णय लिया है।
प्रधानमंत्री श्री @narendramodi जी के नेतृत्व में आज हुई CCPA की बैठक में, आगामी जनगणना में जातिगत गणना को शामिल करने का निर्णय लेकर सामाजिक समानता और हर वर्ग के अधिकारों के प्रति मजबूत प्रतिबद्धता का…
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) April 30, 2025
However, Vanchit Bahujan Agadi President Prakash Ambedkar has criticised this decision. He wrote on social media website X, “Such an announcement has definitely been made, but it is a sham and an attempt to throw dust in the eyes of the public. The government has not yet announced when the census will be conducted. On the contrary, in the affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, the Central Government has said that it is not possible to conduct caste census. This makes the role of the Central Government seem dual and confusing.”
केंद्र सरकार ने जातीय जनगणना कराने का निर्णय लिया है। ऐसी घोषणा जरूर की गई है, लेकिन यह एक दिखावा है और जनता की आंखों में धूल झोंकने का प्रयास है।
“सरकार ने अब तक यह नहीं बताया है कि जनगणना कब कराई जाएगी। उल्टा, सुप्रीम कोर्ट में दाखिल प्रतिज्ञापत्र में केंद्र सरकारने कहा है कि… pic.twitter.com/rETWybkgH9
— Prakash Ambedkar (@Prksh_Ambedkar) April 30, 2025
As per Article 246 of the Constitution of India, 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.
This will ensure that society becomes stronger economically and socially, and the country’s progress continues without hindrance. It is noteworthy that 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.
Caste was excluded from all census operations conducted since independence. In 2010, then Prime Minister Late 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).
