Congress renews demand for nationwide caste census, BJP keeps mum

Amid reports that the Central government may soon initiate the long-delayed decadal census, the Congress party on Thursday, 22 August 2024 reiterated its call for a comprehensive nationwide caste census to ensure equitable distribution of resources and opportunities.

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh criticised the Modi led NDA government for the prolonged delay in conducting the census, and emphasised that gathering caste-wise data on Other Backward Classes (OBCs) could be seamlessly integrated into the survey by adding a column.

“Since 1951, every census has collected caste-wise data for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. By simply adding an extra column, the census questionnaire can also capture detailed information on the OBC population,“ Ramesh stated in a post on X.

The push for a caste-based census has been a longstanding demand of the Congress party, with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi consistently advocating for the initiative.

Gandhi argues that such a census would provide a clearer picture of the country's social fabric and help in formulating targeted welfare policies.

During the last Lok Sabha elections, Gandhi accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of neglecting the marginalised sections of society, stating, “They [BJP] have been counting the money received from their billionaire friends for the last 10 years. We will conduct a caste census to ‘X-ray‘ the country and ensure an equitable share for everyone.“

In the Budget Session earlier this year, Gandhi reinforced his commitment to the caste census by drawing an analogy from the Mahabharata.

“Just as Arjuna could see only the eye of the fish he was supposed to target, my focus remains solely on achieving a caste census,“ Rahul Gandhi had said.

It‘s notable that JDU chief Nitish Kumar, who was the first to advocate for a caste census, has now aligned with the BJP-led NDA ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Interestingly, neither the BJP nor the NDA has voiced support for the caste census. Both the government and the Sangh Parivar have remained conspicuously silent on the matter.

In fact, Shridhar Gadge, the Sah Sanghachalak of the Vidarbha region, questioned the need for a caste census last year. He argued that while it might offer political benefits to some, it would not be conducive to national unity.