Centre’s big caste census move: Masterstroke or political compulsion? | India News

NEW DELHI: Caste census, which has been a key demand of several opposition parties in the last many elections, will finally be a reality with the Centre on Wednesday announcing nationwide caste count along with the next population census.
The government, which had till now strongly resisted opposition demands for a caste census, justified its U-turn, citing the “political and non-transparent” caste enumeration being conducted by some opposition-ruled states in the name of surveys.
Announcing the decision taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the census comes under the purview of the Centre, but some states have done caste enumeration in “non-transparent” manner, which has created doubts in society.
“Considering all these facts and to ensure that the social fabric is not disturbed by politics, caste enumeration should be transparently included in the census instead of surveys,” the Union minister said.
However, the opposition was quick to claim victory and, as expected, there were many credit-takers within their ranks. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who had made caste census a key issue in the last several elections and was very aggressive with his attacks on the government, welcomed the “sudden” decision and said, “We want people’s census, not bureaucrats’ census.”
“We had said in Parliament that we will make the caste census happen. We had also said that we would scrap the 50 per cent 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. We completely support it, but we want a timeline. We want to know that by when this will happen,” Rahul said.

The Congress leader was also quick to pitchfork the party-ruled Telangana model of caste census as a blueprint for the national count. “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.
RJD chief Lalu Prasad said that the Centre’s decision is yet another example of how socialist ideas, once dismissed or ridiculed, are eventually adopted by mainstream political forces.
“What we socialists proposed 30 years ago — be it reservation, caste census, equality, fraternity, secularism — others take decades to follow. There is still a long way to go. But make no mistake — we will keep making these Sanghis dance to our agenda,” Lalu Yadav said.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP John Brittas claimed the government has done a “volte-face” in view of the upcoming Bihar elections.
“Welcome the caste census, though it is a reversal looking at the Bihar elections. The PM had said he only recognised four castes — the poor, youth, women, and farmers!! This volte-face is ok but this nation has been denied of the census which was due in 2021!” he said.
The Centre’s decision to include caste enumeration in the forthcoming census exercise was a “hard-earned victory” for the DMK and Tamil Nadu government, said Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin.
The DMK chief said: “After the failure of all its attempts to deny and delay the much-needed caste enumeration, the Union BJP Government has finally announced that it will be conducted along with the forthcoming Census. But key questions remain unanswered – when will the Census begin? When will it conclude?”
“The same Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) who once accused opposition parties of dividing people on caste has now yielded to the very demand, he maligned repeatedly,” the Tamil Nadu CM said.
Caste census was essential, but not optional, for objective policymaking, targeted welfare, and the pursuit of real social justice. “You cannot remedy injustice without first recognising its scale,” he added.
For the Tamil Nadu government and DMK, this was a hard-earned victory. “We were the first to adopt a resolution in the Legislative Assembly demanding caste census. We championed this cause in every forum. We reiterated this demand in every meeting with the Prime Minister and through multiple letters, consistently urging the Union Government to take responsibility,” Stalin said.
Ironically, several allies of the BJP in the NDA also welcomed the Centre’s decision.
The JD(U) said it was its president and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar who created a favourable ground for the development by carrying out a caste survey in Bihar. Its working president, Sanjay Kumar Jha, said the decision will help make a programme for the deprived sections of the society more focussed.
Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president Chirag Paswan said it is an important decision in national interest, saying that his party had long called for it. The decision will be a big step in the country’s equitable development, the Union minister said, adding that caste census will help “make more just and focused policies”. Paswan said that “misleading claims” were made about relations between him and the central government over the issue, and that the decision is a clear answer to such rumours.
Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde called the government’s decision a historic milestone in the country’s journey towards social justice that will help in the equitable distribution of resources. “The caste census will usher in a new era of social justice by enabling accurate policy-making based on the actual demographic data of different castes,” Shinde said.
Several BJP leaders and Union ministers welcomed the government’s move and slammed the Congress for its double standards on the issue.
Home minister Amit Shah, BJP president JP Nadda and a host of other leaders, including the party’s OBC faces, lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan describing it as an unprecedented development towards the cause of social justice.
Now, contrast this to what Prime Minister Modi had said on caste census when 26 opposition parties led by the Congress under the INDIA bloc had passed a resolution in favour of caste census.
“The Congress is trying to create a divide among people in the name of caste, language and region in its attempt to regain power,” the Prime Minister had said in February 2024 at an election rally in Madhya Pradesh’s Jhabua district.
Clearly, with the opposition’s relentless caste census pitch, the BJP seems to have made a course correction. The saffron party will hope that this move will leave the opposition bereft of an important election plank, especially in Bihar, where elections are due later this year. The opposition, meanwhile, will not just claim victory but will also claim that its consistent pressure had forced the government to change its stand on an important social issue. As Rahul Gandhi claimed, “we have shown that we can pressure the government.”
(With inputs from agencies)