Congress attacks govt over caste census delay, seeks clarity and dialogue

The Congress on Thursday intensified its attack on the Centre over the proposed caste census, accusing the government of failing to provide any roadmap for the exercise and alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is deliberately delaying its implementation.

Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said it has been a full year since the government announced that caste enumeration would be included in the upcoming census, yet no concrete details have emerged.

“A full year has passed. The details of how this caste enumeration will be done are still awaited. There has been no dialogue with Opposition parties, state governments, or even experts,” Ramesh said in a post on X.

Highlighting what he termed a “dramatic U-turn” by the prime minister, Ramesh outlined a timeline of the Centre’s shifting stance. He noted that on 21 July 2021, the government had informed Parliament that it had taken a policy decision not to enumerate caste-wise population. This position was reiterated in a 21 September 2021 affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, which argued that court-mandated caste enumeration would interfere with government policy.

Ramesh also pointed to political exchanges over the years, including a letter by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on 16 April 2023, urging the inclusion of caste data in the Census, and the Prime Minister’s 28 April 2024 remarks in a television interview, where he criticised the demand as reflective of “urban naxal” thinking.

“The prime minister owes the Congress leadership an apology for that accusation. More importantly, he owes the people of India an explanation for this reversal,” Ramesh said.

He further claimed that Kharge’s follow-up letter dated 5 May 2025, seeking dialogue on the issue, went unacknowledged. “The concerns raised remain valid even today,” he added, accusing the government of sidelining the issue despite its importance.

Quoting Kharge, Ramesh reiterated the Congress position that a caste census is essential for ensuring social and economic justice. “Conducting such an exercise, which gives rights to the backward, oppressed and marginalised sections, cannot be considered divisive,” Kharge had said in his letter.

The Congress has repeatedly alleged that the government is attempting to push the caste census into “cold storage”, a charge that has gained traction following the recently concluded special session of Parliament.

As the political debate sharpens, the demand for a comprehensive caste census continues to remain a key flashpoint between the ruling government and the Opposition.

With PTI inputs