New Delhi: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday welcomed the Union Cabinet's decision to include caste in the upcoming census. He described it as a long-overdue step supported by the Congress party and its INDI alliance partners.
In a post on X, Kharge called the move a step towards social justice, but also questioned the government's seriousness due to the low budget allocated for the census.
"The Indian National Congress had continuously raised the demand for caste census, whose most vocal supporter was Rahul Gandhi. Today the Modi government has announced to conduct caste census along with the Census. This is the right step which we were demanding from the very first day," Kharge said.
"I raised this issue several times in Parliament and also wrote a letter to the Prime Minister. The leaders of the INDIA alliance have also demanded caste census several times and this became an important issue in the Lok Sabha elections. Time and again, Prime Minister Modi kept avoiding implementing this policy of social justice and falsely accused the opposition of dividing the society," he said.
Kharge further said that meaningful social justice and empowerment cannot be ensured without a caste census.
"There is only an allocation of Rs 575 crore for the census in this year's budget, so it is a valid question as to how and when the government will complete it. The Congress Party demands that the Modi government should, as soon as possible, make budget provisions and start the work of census and caste census with complete transparency," Mallikarjun Kharge said.
Earlier, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh took a dig at the BJP-led Central government over the Union Cabinet's decision that caste enumeration will be included in the forthcoming census.
Earlier, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh also commented on the Cabinet's decision, pointing out that it had already been included in the Congress party's resolution on social justice.
"This was said in the recent Congress resolution on social justice, which was passed in Ahmedabad on 9 April 2025. better late than never," the Congress MP said.
Earlier today, briefing the media about the decisions taken by the Union Cabinet, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that some states have done caste surveys and conducting a census is in the domain of the central government.
He said Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) has decided today that caste enumeration should be included in the forthcoming census.
Vaishnaw said this will strengthen the social and economic structure of the society while the nation continues to progress.
"Under the leadership of PM Modi, the Cabinet Committee of Political Affairs has decided today that Caste enumeration should be included in the forthcoming census. This demonstrates that the government is committed to the values and interests of the society and the country," he said.
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