The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the inclusion of caste enumeration in the upcoming national census leading to the Congress and key Bihar leaders claiming vindication of their long-standing demands.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge reacted to the announcement by asserting that the Congress had always advocated for such a move.
In a post on X, he wrote, "The Indian National Congress had continuously raised the demand for caste census, whose most vocal supporter was Rahul Gandhi. Today the Modi government has announced to conduct caste census along with the Census. This is the right step which we were demanding from the very first day."
Kharge emphasised that the demand had been reiterated multiple times in Parliament and via written communication to the Prime Minister.
He added, "There is only an allocation of Rs 1.575 crore for the census in this year’s budget, so it is a valid question as to how and when the government will complete it."
Former Bihar deputy CM and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav also took credit for the development, calling it a victory for socialists and RJD patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav.
“It was our 30-year-old demand. It's a victory for us - the Socialists and Lalu Yadav... Earlier, all the parties from Bihar met the PM, but he denied our demand. Many of the ministers denied this, but this is the strength of ours that they have to work on our agenda,” he said.
Yadav added, "Even when we increased the reservation to 65% based on the findings of the caste survey that we conducted in Bihar, we demanded from the central government that the provision be included in Schedule 9, but till now, the government hasn't done that... The caste census must be done before delimitation and then the way Dalits, SCs, STs and Adivasis have reserved seats in parliament and in state assemblies, OBCs and Extremely Backward classes must have reserve seats."
RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha described the Cabinet’s decision as a victory for the 'Bahujan' population, adding that Tejashwi Yadav's leadership had played a critical role in implementing the caste survey in Bihar.
Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor offered a note of caution.
“We have no issue with any such census or survey that gives a better understanding of society, but we have seen it in Bihar that merely caste surveys will not improve the situation in the country, but only if the government works based on the findings that come out of surveys,” he said.
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar welcomed the announcement, saying, “Conducting caste census will reveal the number of people of different classes, which will help in making plans for their upliftment and development."
AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi emphasised the need for transparency and inclusivity in the process.
“This was needed urgently & it was a long-pending demand of many groups. The most backward communities should get their fair share in education & employment,” he posted on X.
Owaisi also underlined the backwardness among Muslims and called for data transparency and consistency in government policy.
Announcing the decision at a Cabinet briefing on Wednesday, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated, “According to the Constitution of India, Census is a Union Subject. Some states have conducted surveys, I am repeating the word surveys, to enumerate castes. Some states have done this well, while some others have conducted such surveys purely from a political angle in a non-transparent way. Such surveys have created doubts in the state.”
Every Census in independent India from 1951 to 2011 has published data on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, but not on other castes. Prior to that, every Census until 1931 included comprehensive caste data.