Centre Preempts Congress on Caste Census; Rahul Gandhi to Respond at 7 PM

As Rahul Gandhi campaigns on the promise of a nationwide caste census and expanded reservation limits if the Congress returns to power, the Centre on Wednesday made a significant move by announcing that caste enumeration will be formally included in the upcoming national census — and in a “transparent” manner.

Announcing the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs’ decision, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw underscored that the census is a Union subject under the Constitution, accusing some Opposition-ruled states of conducting caste surveys with political motives.

“Some states have carried out caste surveys purely from a political angle, in a non-transparent way. To preserve the social fabric and ensure transparency, caste enumeration should be part of the nationwide census rather than state-led surveys,” Vaishnaw said.

The long-delayed decadal census, originally scheduled for April 2020 but postponed due to the Covid pandemic, will now include caste data for the first time since 1931.

The announcement comes ahead of the Bihar assembly elections, where backward and marginalised communities together account for nearly 85% of the population. Bihar was the first state to conduct a caste survey under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in 2023 — a move then backed by the Congress, which was part of the state’s ruling coalition at the time.

Following Bihar, Congress-led Karnataka and Telangana have also undertaken caste surveys. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi, now Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, is scheduled to hold a press briefing at 7 PM on Wednesday, widely expected to be the party’s official response to the Centre’s move.

Vaishnaw also accused successive Congress governments of resisting caste enumeration. “In 2010, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh promised the Lok Sabha to examine the issue of a caste census. A group of ministers was formed, and most parties supported it. Yet the Congress government opted for a limited caste survey — the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) — whose findings were never made public due to discrepancies,” he said.

The minister further highlighted the Modi government’s earlier decision to introduce 10% reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) without affecting existing quotas.

Vaishnaw added, “Unlike the Congress and its INDIA bloc allies, who’ve used caste census as a political tool, this government is committed to strengthening the social and economic structure of society with fairness and transparency.”