Congress accuses PM Modi of delaying caste census, wants clarity on details of exercise

Attacking the government over the caste census issue, the Congress on Thursday (April 30) said it is yet to come out with any details of how this enumeration will be done and alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has every intention of delaying the exercise.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said exactly a year ago, the Modi government had announced that caste enumeration of the entire population will be included in the upcoming Census.

‘Chronology of dramatic U-turn by PM Modi’

"The recent chronology relating to this dramatic U-turn by the Prime Minister is this: On July 21 2021, the Home Minister had answered a question in the Lok Sabha asked by a BJP MP Smt Raksha Nikhil Khadse (now a Minister herself) and said that the Government of India had decided as a matter of policy not to enumerate caste-wise population," Ramesh said on X.

On September 21 2021, the Modi government filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court stating that any directive by the court to enumerate caste-wise population would be tantamount to interfering with a policy decision already taken by the Modi government, he said.

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On April 16, 2023, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to the PM demanding an up-to-date caste census as part of the regular census, Ramesh pointed out.

"On April 28, 2024, in a television interview to News18 Network, the prime minister attacked the Congress saying that its demand for a caste census was indicative of 'urban naxal' thought," he said.

The prime minister owes the leadership of the Congress an apology for his accusation, Ramesh said, adding that more importantly, he owes the people of India an explanation of why he allowed his mind to be contaminated by "urban naxal" thought when he announced a caste census on April 30, 2025.

‘No details after one year of announcement’

"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 and state governments, let alone with experts in this subject," Ramesh said.

"The President of the Indian National Congress had written to the PM again on May 5, 2025 on the issue of the caste census. That letter was not even acknowledged. The issues raised in that letter remain very valid even now," he said.

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In fact, they are more relevant after the recently-concluded special session of Parliament where it was evident that the PM has every intention of delaying the caste census, Ramesh claimed.

He also shared on X Kharge's May 5, 2025 letter to Modi in which the Congress president had said that conducting any exercise such as the caste census which gives the backward, the oppressed, and the marginalised sections of our society their rights cannot and should not be considered divisive in any way.

Caste census absolutely necessary: Congress

"The Indian National Congress believes that conducting the caste census in a comprehensive manner is absolutely necessary to ensure social and economic justice and equality of status and opportunity as pledged in the Preamble of our Constitution. I would request you to have a dialogue with all political parties soon on the issue of the caste census," Kharge had said.

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Earlier this month, the Congress had alleged that the government wants to put the caste census in "cold storage".

(With agency inputs)