Caste-based census: ‘Misleading the nation’: Jairam Ramesh criticizes Modi government over delay in caste census. india news
In a post on X, Ramesh outlined the Centre’s changing position. He said that on July 20, 2021, the government told the Lok Sabha that it had “as a matter of policy decided not to enumerate caste-wise population other than SCs and STs in the census.”He further said that on September 21, 2021, the government filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court reiterating its decision not to conduct the caste census.
Timeline for change of stance marked
Ramesh also pointed to Narendra Modi’s comments in April 2024, when the Prime Minister had reportedly accused the Congress of having an “urban Naxalite mentality” for demanding a caste census. He then highlighted that on April 30, 2025, soon after the Pahalgam terror attack, the government announced that caste census would be conducted as part of the upcoming exercise.“It is clear that the Modi government wants to put the caste census on the back burner,” Ramesh said, alleging lack of consistency in policy decisions.
Delay concerns and political allegations
The Congress leader also cited the press conference of the Registrar-General and Census Commissioner on March 30, 2025, who had said that most of the results of the ongoing Census 2027 would be available only that year due to the digital format.Ramesh questioned the delay and said states like Telangana and Bihar had completed the caste survey within six months. He further accused the government of trying to amend Article 334-A and linked the issue to the implementation of the Nari Shakti Vandan Act, 2023.He alleged, “The Prime Minister, as usual, is misleading the country and is engaged in spreading confusion on a large scale. Now he wants to amend a provision which was passed unanimously by Parliament in September 2023. The hidden agenda is simple: there is to be no caste census.”