Caste census: Congress targets BJP with Supreme Court affidavit, Parliament reply

NEW DELHI: Even as Congress claims PM Narendra Modi buckled under its pressure to reverse his earlier decision on enumerating caste, the party Sunday added a twist by releasing a 2021 govt answer in Parliament in which it had stated that it will not conduct a caste census in 2021 as a policy decision, and also quoting a Centre's affidavit beseeching Supreme Court not to order a caste census against the govt policy. The opposition party asked the PM if he will accept that he has taken a U-turn on the issue.

To amplify its attacks on BJP , Congress has directed its state units to hold statewide rallies at the assembly level to showcase the role of Congress and Rahul Gandhi in making caste census a reality, with the directive that they should highlight that BJP has been against the idea. The party also asked its netas to intensify the demand for removal of 50% barrier on reservations and for implementation of quotas in private educational institutions.

Home ministry told Lok Sabha on July 20, 2021, that govt had taken a policy decision not to enumerate caste in the census. Also, as per Congress, PM Modi government told SC on Sept 21, 2021: "The exclusion of information regarding any other caste [outside of SCs and STs] from the purview of census [2021] is a conscious policy decision taken by the central govt."

Congress spokesman Jairam Ramesh said, "Evidence abounds on Modi's sudden, complete, and desperate U-turn on the caste census... Will he explain to the people and Parliament the reasons for the change in govt's policy?"