Caste Census Approved by Indian Government Amidst Political Pressure

Political Pressure Leads to Caste Census Approval

On Wednesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi expressed that the pressure exerted by his party on the central government regarding a caste census has yielded results.

Earlier in the day, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw revealed that the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs has sanctioned the enumeration of caste in the upcoming census. However, the government did not specify when this process would commence.

The Opposition has persistently advocated for a nationwide caste census, asserting that it would accurately reflect the population of Other Backward Classes and other castes, thereby facilitating the implementation of policies like increased quotas.

Gandhi emphasized that the Congress party will not relent in its demands concerning this initiative, stating that it reflects the will of the Indian populace, and the Modi administration must comply.

“We will ensure a thorough and consultative census – a people’s census, not a bureaucratic one,” he stated on X. “We will continue to advocate for the elimination of the arbitrary 50% cap on reservations.”

This 50% cap on reservations was established by the Supreme Court in 1992, which ruled that “no provision of reservation or preference can be so vigorously pursued as to destroy the very concept of equality.”

The court indicated that any reservation exceeding 50% could be invalidated, although it noted that exceptions could be made in extraordinary circumstances, albeit with extreme caution.

On the same day, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge remarked that his party has consistently championed the cause of a caste census, with Rahul Gandhi being its most vocal proponent.

In a post on X, Kharge accused Modi of evading the implementation of this social justice policy while falsely claiming that the opposition was causing societal division.

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad Yadav stated that the principles of reservation, caste census, equality, and fraternity, which socialists advocated for three decades ago, are now being adopted by others much later.

“During my tenure as the national president of Janata Dal, our United Front government decided in 1996-’97 to conduct a caste census in the 2001 census, which was ultimately not executed by the NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee,” Yadav mentioned on X.

Tejashwi Yadav, the Leader of the Opposition in Bihar and a Rashtriya Janata Dal member, characterized the decision as an “ideological victory” for the party, asserting that the “struggle for social justice has now advanced to the next level.”

“What we do today is often only considered by others after 35-40 years,” he reiterated. “Now we will allocate seats for backward and most backward classes in the Vidhan Sabha, Vidhan Parishad, Lok Sabha, and Rajya Sabha.”

Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav hailed the caste census decision as “India’s victory” and a testament to the unity among Picchda-Dalit-Adivasi groups.

“The BJP government has been compelled to make this decision due to our collective pressure,” he stated. “This marks a significant phase in the PDA’s victory for social justice.”

MA Baby from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) remarked that the inclusion of the caste census in the general census was a delayed response to the Opposition's unanimous demand.

“However, there is still no timeline provided,” Baby noted on X. “A caste socio-economic survey is crucial for ensuring social justice in government policies.”

While announcing the caste enumeration decision, Vaishnaw accused the Congress and its allies of using the caste census demand merely as a political tool.

“Congress governments have historically opposed the caste census,” Vaishnaw stated at a press conference. “Caste was not included in any census operations since Independence.”

He further explained that the Socio Economic and Caste Census conducted by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance in 2011 was a survey, not a census.

Data from the Socio Economic and Caste Census was not made public, according to Vaishnaw.

He added that the census falls under the jurisdiction of the Union government, and the caste enumeration efforts by some states were merely surveys.

“While some states have conducted these surveys effectively, others have approached them politically and non-transparently,” the Union minister stated. “Such surveys have raised doubts within the state.”

Bihar and Telangana have released their caste survey data, while Jharkhand has announced plans to conduct its caste survey in the financial year 2025-’26.

Vaishnaw concluded: “Given these circumstances, to prevent political disturbances in our social fabric, caste enumeration should be transparently integrated into the census rather than conducted as surveys. This will fortify the social and economic framework of our society while the nation progresses.”

The last decennial census was conducted in 2011. India was scheduled to initiate the first phase of the next census in 2020, which involves collecting housing data, but the Covid-19 pandemic led to its postponement.

Several allies of the ruling BJP, including the Telugu Desam Party, Union ministers Chirag Paswan and Ramdas Athawale, as well as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, have supported the call for a caste census.