New Delhi: In a politically significant and surprising move, the Modi govt Wednesday decided to include caste enumeration in the upcoming decennial census, a first such exercise in more than 90 years. The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) decision should also clear the way for the much-awaited census.
It comes ahead of elections in caste-sensitive Bihar and amid a govt-opposition tussle over leadership of the numerically predominant and politically significant OBC community . It also snatches a major talking point from Congress, especially with Rahul Gandhi repeatedly taking it up and making it virtually the chief issue in the opposition's armoury.
At a press conference, I&B minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said Congress talked about it - with then PM Manmohan Singh telling LS that the matter will be considered by the cabinet - but did not act.
During UPA tenure, a socio-economic and caste census had been done and later, some states, including Bihar, Telangana and Karnataka, have undertaken surveys.
Caste census move comes a day after PM-Bhagwat meet
Vaishnaw accused some of the opposition-led states of conducting caste surveys for political reasons and said Modi govt had resolved to transparently include caste enumeration in the forthcoming pan-India census exercise. “This demonstrates that our govt is committed to the values and interests of our society and country, like in the past when our govt had introduced 10% quota for the economically weaker sections of the society without causing stress in any section of society,” he said.
In a post on X, home minister Amit Shah called it “a message of strong commitment towards social equality and rights of every section”. Rahul described it as a “sudden decision” that came after it was opposed by the ruling party for 11 years. “We support this completely, but we want a timeline. We want to know by when it will be done,” he said.
BJP fielded big guns from OBC community, including agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Dharmendra Pradhan to describe it as a decision towards ensuring social justice . Coming months before Bihar polls, the CCPA decision has injected a new element into the political scenario and opposition will no longer be able to blame govt for opposing a caste census. It came a day after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat met PM Modi.
Sources said the questions on caste and sub-castes would be part of the national census expected next year. The 2020 Census has been delayed due to Covid-19 pandemic.
It comes ahead of elections in caste-sensitive Bihar and amid a govt-opposition tussle over leadership of the numerically predominant and politically significant OBC community . It also snatches a major talking point from Congress, especially with Rahul Gandhi repeatedly taking it up and making it virtually the chief issue in the opposition's armoury.
At a press conference, I&B minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said Congress talked about it - with then PM Manmohan Singh telling LS that the matter will be considered by the cabinet - but did not act.
During UPA tenure, a socio-economic and caste census had been done and later, some states, including Bihar, Telangana and Karnataka, have undertaken surveys.
Caste census move comes a day after PM-Bhagwat meet
Vaishnaw accused some of the opposition-led states of conducting caste surveys for political reasons and said Modi govt had resolved to transparently include caste enumeration in the forthcoming pan-India census exercise. “This demonstrates that our govt is committed to the values and interests of our society and country, like in the past when our govt had introduced 10% quota for the economically weaker sections of the society without causing stress in any section of society,” he said.
In a post on X, home minister Amit Shah called it “a message of strong commitment towards social equality and rights of every section”. Rahul described it as a “sudden decision” that came after it was opposed by the ruling party for 11 years. “We support this completely, but we want a timeline. We want to know by when it will be done,” he said.
BJP fielded big guns from OBC community, including agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Dharmendra Pradhan to describe it as a decision towards ensuring social justice . Coming months before Bihar polls, the CCPA decision has injected a new element into the political scenario and opposition will no longer be able to blame govt for opposing a caste census. It came a day after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat met PM Modi.
Sources said the questions on caste and sub-castes would be part of the national census expected next year. The 2020 Census has been delayed due to Covid-19 pandemic.
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