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Informist, Wednesday, Apr. 30, 2025

NEW DELHI – Lauding the government's decision to include caste enumeration in the next census, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi Wednesday sought a timeline by when the census would be conducted. "This (caste census) is our vision. They adopted it. It's good," Gandhi said. "But government must tell the dates of the census. We support it, but we also want a timeline. We want to know by when it will be done." The decennial census was last conducted in 2011. It was due in 2021 but was postponed on account of the COVID-19 pandemic and has remained pending since. 

Calling Telangana's caste census a good model, Gandhi said the national census should follow some of the ideas implemented by the state. "We are more than happy to help the government develop the national census on similar lines," he said.

The former Congress president underlined that the government had initially opposed the Opposition's demand for a caste census, only to now suddenly announce the move. He, however, brushed aside a suggestion that the Bihar assembly election, due later this year, was the reason for the change of heart. He also refused to speculate if the decision was meant to distract attention from the Pahalgam terror attack.

Gandhi said the caste census would be the first step to bring about a new paradigm of development. He said the government should also end the 50% ceiling on reservations, calling it an impediment to the progress of the country and the backward classes and Dalits.

"We want to go beyond the caste census and we want to understand the participation of 90% of our population--backward classes, Dalits--in the power structure of our country," the member of Parliament from Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh said. "Where are they participating effectively and where are they not participating... we want to give them access to power."

Gandhi also urged the government to take steps to implement reservations in private educational institutions. He said Article 15(5) of the Constitution empowers the government to make provisions for admission of citizens from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in private educational institutions.

"We have shown that we can pressure the Bharatiya Janata Party into doing the caste census and we are going to show you that we are going to pressure the Bharatiya Janata Party in doing Article 15(5) and removing the 50% cap on reservation," Gandhi said.

Earlier in the day, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, decided to include caste enumeration in the forthcoming census. The government did not, however, give a timeline.  End

Reported by Kuldeep Singh

Edited by Rajeev Pai

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