Rahul Gandhi forced PM Modi’s hand on caste census, claims Congress
NEW DELHI: As Congress toasted Rahul Gandhi for championing the “caste census” which forced Modi govt to accept the demand after 11 years of “stubborn refusal”, the Gandhi scion Friday told Congress Working Committee the party should take up an issue and stick to it for sustained periods to bring about a change. It is learnt Congress will centre stage its role in making caste enumeration a reality during ongoing “samvidhan bachao rallies” at state, district and assembly-levels. The party is also likely to mount a strong campaign for caste quotas in private educational institutions under Article 15(5), and a constitutional amendment to remove the 50% cap on reservations. Calling for urgent action on the decennial census as the govt has not given a timeline or budget for conducting it, CWC sought an “immediate debate in Parliament”. It cautioned that caste enumeration should not become “a jumla like women’s quota”. CWC brainstormed over Centre’s decision to enumerate caste in the next decennial census and celebrated Rahul as “strongest and most consistent voice demanding a nationwide caste census.” The CWC resolution noted that Rahul raised the issue at 2022 Udaipur session and Raipur plenary in 2023. “In Parliament, in speeches across the country, and during the Bharat Jodo Yatras, Rahul has asserted that caste enumeration was essential for deepening social justice,” it said. With Congress exuding a sense of victory, Rahul is learnt to have told the gathering the party should adopt action-oriented programmes, so the campaigns yield results Briefing reporters, Sachin Pilot and MP Saptgiri Ulaka took potshots at PM Modi by saying, “A big leader said ‘bantenge to katenge’ and called Congress ‘urban naxal’. They called caste enumeration a poison for society. But under Congress and Rahul’s pressure, Modi govt understood that public sentiment was with Congress.” Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Revanth to Centre: Form GoM, expert panel for caste census
Hyderabad: Chief minister A Revanth Reddy has urged the Centre to constitute a Group of Ministers (GoM) and an experts committee for caste census across the country. He also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to set a clear timeframe to complete the exercise, preferably within a year. Welcoming the Centre’s decision to include caste data in the next census, Revanth thanked the PM and emphasised that the Telangana govt was ready to cooperate, offering insights from its own caste survey without seeking political mileage. He said Telangana has become a role model in conducting such surveys. “The GoM and experts committee should be constituted separately to visit various states and hold consultations with political parties, stakeholders, and civil society on the caste census,” Revanth said at a press conference at his Jubilee Hills residence on Thursday. He explained that Telangana’s GoM and experts committee had visited every district, interacted with stakeholders, and collected representations from the public during its caste survey. Highlighting regional variations in caste classification, the CM said the experts committee must consider state-wise differences. “For instance, the Boya community is classified as OBC in Telangana but as ST in Karnataka. Similarly, Lambadas are tribals in Telangana but considered OBC in Maharashtra. There needs to be a consensus on these differences,” he said. When asked if the Centre’s move was politically motivated, particularly in light of the Bihar elections, Revanth refrained from making direct allegations. “I do not want to get into political accusations, especially when the move benefits people. But it’s clear that the BJP govt was compelled to act,” he said. He credited Rahul Gandhi for initiating the talk around caste census, asserting that the Congress leader promised a caste survey in Telangana and fulfilled the promise. “The credit goes to Rahul Gandhi,” he added. The CM said the state govt has already submitted its report to the Centre. “If needed, an official delegation is ready to go to Delhi to make a Power-Point presentation,” he said. On whether the Centre’s caste census data would override Telangana’s findings, Revanth clarified, “Central data prevails. However, Telangana’s survey was carried out systematically and scientifically, with a GoM and experts committee guiding the process.” He detailed the scale of the Telangana survey stating that 57 questions, spanning eight pages, were asked, with 95,000 enumerators covering every household in the state within 90 days. The process was supervised by top govt officials and the state-level GoM. “Telangana has shown the way. This is a historic exercise pending for nearly 100 years,” the CM claimed. Commenting on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Revanth claimed that the Congress had warned the public about the BJP’s alleged intent to remove reservations and alter the Constitution. “The people didn’t give the BJP a clear majority. With only 240 seats, their plans have been stalled,” he said. He also questioned why BJP-ruled states undertook caste surveys if the BJP opposed them. “The BJP has been in power for 11 years and governs 16–17 states. Why were caste surveys conducted only recently,” he wondered. Revanth said the BJP, despite its initial opposition, had been forced to support caste census due to Congress’s pressure. He recalled the Congress-led protest at Jantar Mantar, where leaders from most parties participated, except the NDA allies. Regarding the stalling of ‘Operation Kagar’ in Chhattisgarh, the CM said: “There is no place for violence in a civilised society. The party believes in dialogue with Maoists, and a policy decision will be taken soon.” Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Rajiv Gandhi had opposed in Parliament
Rajiv Gandhi’s speech and the Congress’s stance damaged the party’s popularity among OBC communities. As a result, the Congress’ political base in states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar weakened, and the party never again got an absolute majority at the Centre. Rajiv Gandhi said in the Lok Sabha that the government had decided to implement the Mandal Commission report at a time when the country already had a lot of serious problems. He said, ‘The problems of Kashmir have been solved by the government. The situation has never been this bad since independence. The situation in Punjab is also very bad. Assam is also on the same path. Tamil Nadu is also close to it. The Prime Minister himself had said that the country should be prepared for war… Apart from this, tension is increasing between the North and the South over language…” He said that there are many similarities between that time and today. There was peace in Kashmir for some time, but now tension has increased again. The government is having a dispute with the southern states over language. The government has not ‘prepared the ground’ for this big decision. He said, ‘The proof of this is that people are being killed, buses are being burnt, trains are being burnt and buildings are being demolished.’ He said that on one hand the Prime Minister is asking the country to be ready for war, and on the other hand he is dividing our society. Then Congress gave reservation After 16 years, the Congress UPA government took another step to implement the Mandal Commission report. They reserved 27% seats for OBCs in colleges like AIIMS, IIT and IIM. This decision was also opposed a lot. Upper caste people said that the government is eliminating merit and is doing this only for votes. What was BJP’s stand? At that time BJP was in the opposition. BJP supported reservation, but said that the benefit of reservation should also be given to poor people, irrespective of their caste. BJP also said that creamy layer i.e. rich people of backward classes should not get reservation. What is the connection with Jammu and Kashmir? After the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, the Modi cabinet has taken a big decision on caste census. 26 people were killed in this attack. The tension between India and Pakistan has increased a lot. Common people Want a response to this attack. In 1990, when the Mandal Commission recommendations were implemented, there was a similar atmosphere. Actually, the situation in Jammu and Kashmir was bad in those days too. Terrorism had increased a lot. Many Hindus were targeted and killed. Lakhs of Hindu families were forced to migrate from Kashmir. VP Singh was under a lot of pressure regarding the situation in Kashmir. About the author Anubhav Shakya After studying journalism from IIMC in 2021, he entered journalism with Zee News. Born in Etah, UP but studied in Aligarh. After writing national and international news there for about one and a half years, he is now working in the news team at Navbharat Times. Courtesy : Anubhav Shakya, NBT, Hindi News
‘If you wanted caste-based census so badly, you should have done earlier’: Chirag Paswan slams Congress
NEW DELHI: Union minister Chirag Paswan on Thursday directed his attack on the Congress party, accusing it of using the caste census as a “political weapon to incite people’s sentiments.” He questioned the party’s intent, saying that if Congress was genuinely committed to a caste-based census, it should have implemented it during its long tenure in power. “Today, Rahul Gandhi wants to take credit for this, saying that this happened under my pressure. Your party’s government remained in the centre for a long time. Leave the party aside, there have been three Prime Ministers from your family. If you wanted a caste-based census in the country so badly, then you should have got it done earlier. But you used it as a political weapon and only worked to incite people’s sentiments,” Paswan told reporters. He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking decisive action, saying, “Today, our government has fulfilled this demand. My Prime Minister is known for taking the right decisions at the right time. The opposition is saying that we have taken this decision in view of the Bihar elections, but if this decision had to be taken from the point of view of elections, then we would have taken this decision before the Lok Sabha elections…” Paswan further highlighted ongoing national priorities, assuring that the government remains focused on critical issues, including national security concerns, which is at the centre of discussion after terrorist attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam. “We have taken this decision, and there is still more work to be done. There are many important issues related to national security on which we have to work…my Prime Minister will definitely take every decision which is related to the sentiments of the country,” he said. The Cabinet Committee on political affairs, headed by PM Modi, recently approved a caste census to be conducted alongside the national census. However, no official date for the exercise has been announced yet. This announcement comes just months before the upcoming Bihar assembly elections. Bihar, notably, was the first state to initiate and conduct a caste-based survey in 2022. According to Article 246 of the Constitution, the census is a Union subject and is listed at number 69 in the Union List under the Seventh Schedule. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Congress dismisses caste census announcement as ‘diversionary tactic’ of government
NEW DELHI: Congress Thursday said PM Narendra Modi had last year dubbed Rahul Gandhi’s demand for a caste census an “urban naxal mindset”, poking fun at BJP functionaries for taking credit for the govt decision to count caste in the much-awaited decennial census. It said the central govt has not clarified the timeline for the census, which is overdue for five years, saying the Prime Minister has given “headline without deadline” which is a “diversionary tactic”, reports Subodh Ghildiyal. The CWC will meet on Friday to discuss the govt decision on caste enumeration, and may pile further pressure on the govt over its demands linked to the issue, besides amplifying the point that the BJP regime buckled under Rahul’s pressure. The CWC will also discuss the Pahalgam attack. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said RSS and Jan Sangh have been opposed to reservations from the start, and they have no right to criticize Congress, as he rebuffed the BJP’s attacks on the opposition party over caste census. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Caste census will uplift Dalit, backward and Pasmanda classes: Danish Azad Ansari
Lucknow, 30 April. A meeting of the Union Cabinet was held in Delhi on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Many important decisions were taken in the meeting. The Modi government at the Center has also decided to conduct caste census in this meeting. Yogi government minister Danish Azad Ansari expressed happiness over this decision of the government. Danish Azad Ansari, while talking to the news agency, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to conduct caste census is historic. This decision will prove to be very meaningful in the reconstruction of the nation. This census will open new paths for the upliftment of backward society, Dalit society and Pasmanda class and new schemes will be made. Prime Minister Modi has always kept the development and upliftment of the country paramount. This historic decision has been taken with the spirit of serving the country, which the whole country welcomes. He further said that we have full faith that after this census, our resolve for a developed India 2047 will not only get further strengthened, but our country will move forward rapidly on the path of this resolve. Let us tell you that the Modi cabinet approved the caste census on Wednesday. Giving information about the government’s decision, Ashwini Vaishnav said that the Congress governments opposed the caste census. There has been no caste census since 1947. Instead of caste census, Congress conducted caste survey, many states in the UPA government have conducted caste survey from political point of view. He further said that in 2010, the then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh had assured in the Lok Sabha that the caste census would be considered in the cabinet. Thereafter, a cabinet group was also formed, in which most of the political parties recommended caste based census. Despite this, the Congress government considered it appropriate to conduct a survey instead of caste census, which is known as CECC. Despite all this, the parties of the Congress and Indy alliance used the subject of caste census only for their political benefit. Vaishnav further said that this type of survey has spread confusion in the society. Keeping all these situations in mind and ensuring that our social fabric does not come under the pressure of politics, the caste census should be included in the original census instead of a survey. This will strengthen the society economically and socially and the country will also progress uninterrupted. The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs led by PM Modi has decided that caste census will be included in the upcoming census. Courtesy: Hindi News
One decision of Modi government and Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Brahmastra’ failed, now what will Tejaswi do in Bihar elections?
Caste Census In India: After the approval of the Union Cabinet to conduct caste census, the opposition has suffered a major setback. A big issue has slipped out of its hands. The entire opposition, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, had this strong issue to corner the BJP. Its effect was also seen in the Lok Sabha elections. BJP’s seats came down to 240 while the opposition’s seats reached 232. The opposition was also preparing to capitalize on this in the Bihar assembly elections. Central government bows down to the opposition Caste census got approval May get benefit in Bihar elections Patna: The central government finally had to come on the back foot on the question of caste census. Earlier the central government had refused to conduct caste census. During the hearing on this issue in the Supreme Court, the Center had cited technical difficulties. The opposition was making it an issue since the time of the Lok Sabha elections. Rahul Gandhi, who has been the PM face of India Block, has been saying till now that if his government is formed, the first thing he will do is caste census. The law of reservation will be made in proportion to the share of the people in the census. Rahul has even been saying that along with caste census, he will also end the limit of reservation. Caste census was an issue in Lok Sabha elections During the Lok Sabha elections, the opposition had included caste census among the major issues. In Bihar, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav was the first to take the initiative of caste census. He had first met Nitish Kumar on this issue. Nitish was the head of the NDA government then. Nitish sent a government delegation to Delhi in this regard. Since the central government had already refused to conduct caste census citing technical problems, Nitish Kumar later conducted caste survey at his own expense while running the government with RJD. The state government also bore the huge expenditure of Rs 500 crore on this. On the basis of the survey, the Nitish government increased the limit of reservation to 75 percent. However, the Patna High Court put a stay on the increase in reservation. The opposition in Bihar wanted to make it an issue in the assembly elections. But, BJP has foiled the opposition’s plan. The caste issue slipped out of Congress’ hands In the first Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi tried to cash in on the caste census. He said that he will get the caste census done if the government is formed. On that basis, reservation will be determined afresh. In the states where assembly elections were held after the Lok Sabha elections, all the opposition parties including Congress made caste census an election issue. In Jharkhand, it has been announced that a caste survey will be conducted by next year if the opposition alliance forms the government. To ensure that the opposition does not take advantage of this issue further, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the proposal to conduct caste census. It may have an impact on Bihar elections Assembly elections are to be held in Bihar this year. All the parties are trying to beat each other with their own moves. Rahul Gandhi has termed the caste survey conducted in Bihar as fake. He has talked about getting the caste census done again. However, now the Center has taken its decision, so the opposition will hardly get any benefit from it now. The opposition can now only boast that the central government, which had earlier refused under its pressure, has now agreed to conduct the caste census. The BJP will definitely try to tell that the caste census is its contribution. Earlier, Karnataka, Bihar and Telangana had conducted the caste census. So far, no benefit of this is visible on the ground in Bihar. Its report has not been implemented in Karnataka. Rahul Gandhi considers the caste census of Telangana to be perfect. He has been in favor of conducting similar caste census in every state. Now this issue of his, which the Congress leaders wanted to use as a ‘Brahmastra’ in the Bihar elections, is over. About the author Sudhendra Pratap Singh Senior Digital Content Producer at Navbharat Times Digital. Started the journey in journalism with the local newspaper Agrabharat. From here the caravan grew and reached NBT.com via Kalpataru Express, Hindustan News Paper, News18. Courtesy: Edited by Sudhendra Pratap Singh | Written by Omprakash Ashk, NBT, Hindi News
PM must not dilly-dally: Rahul Gandhi
Stating that PM Modi must not “dilly-dally” and should take immediate action on the Pahalgam attack, Congress’ Rahul Gandhi Wednesday said the response against those responsible for the Kashmir outrage has to be exemplary so that it acts as a deterrent against future misadventure. Hours after he met the family of a Kashmir terror victim in Kanpur, Rahul told reporters, “Those responsible for this act, wherever they are, have to pay for it. And they have to pay for it properly. Not in some half-hearted way, but properly, so that they remember that it cannot be done with India.” “It is pretty clear who are responsible (for the attack) and they must pay the price. The PM has to take action. It has to be clear and it has to be strong. Without any confusion. The PM must not dilly dally, he must not waste time and must make it clear that India will not tolerate this kind of nonsense. He can act in whatever time frame he thinks necessary, but he has to act soon,” Rahul said. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Government must give a timeline for caste census, says Rahul Gandhi
NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi demanded that the Centre provide the timeline by when caste census would be done, even as he warned that the exercise will only bear fruits if it is designed to ask the right questions as done by the survey conducted by Congress-led govt in Telangana. The Congress MP said caste census is required to know participation of weaker sections in institutions and power structure, so that they can be given “access to power”. As he dubbed caste census “a first step…a big step” in changing the development paradigm, Rahul demanded the govt abolish the 50% limit on reservations and immediately implement caste quotas in private educational institutions, in line with the Constitutional amendment of Article 15(5). But the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha expressed “immediate suspicion” that the govt on the census will adopt a “strategy on timeline” as in the women’s reservation bill, suggesting that its execution will be kept open-ended. Claiming BJP was forced to change its stance under Congress pressure, Rahul mocked, “PM Modi used to say there are only four castes but now suddenly announced caste census”. He was referring to Modi’s election speeches, in which the PM, rubbishing the demand for caste census, said the only four castes that exist for him are “women, youth, poor, farmers”. Rahul, who has turned caste census into a sort of mascot of Congress’s growing social justice platform over the past two years, held a presser to react to the govt announcement – indicating that he views it as a victory with evidence that “BJP can be pressured”. He asserted that Congress pushed the demand with a massive grassroots campaign, which had its effect on the govt. “We welcome the decision. It is our vision, they have adopted it,” Rahul said. Rahul said unlike Bihar, Telangana’s caste census is the model for doing the exercise, as the questions were crystallised through public consultation and not decided by bureaucrats. He offered to Modi govt Congress’s help in finalising the design of the census. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Centre’s caste census nod sparks credit war between BJP, Congress
NEW DELHI: Centre’s announcement to include caste enumeration in the upcoming general census has triggered a war of words, with both the ruling BJP and opposition parties scrambling to claim credit for the decision. Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Wednesday that the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs has approved the inclusion of caste enumeration in the forthcoming census, marking a significant shift in policy. The Congress party was quick to attribute the decision to Rahul Gandhi’s advocacy, claiming it as a victory for their leader’s vision. “Rahul Gandhi Ji said, “Start counting.” Now the Modi government is making arrangements for counting. When our leader Shri Rahul Gandhi Ji had said, “A caste census is the X-ray of society,” people from the ruling party mocked him, ignored him, and procrastinated,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh wrote on X. — Jairam_Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) “He had been demanding this for a long time – raising the issue repeatedly in Parliament, public gatherings, and during his travels. But how long can the voice of millions demanding their rights be suppressed? Now the Modi government has agreed to conduct a caste census. Well, better late than never! This is a decisive step towards ensuring social justice. This is a victory for millions of people in India. It is a victory for all those who have been fighting for years for equality, fairness, and representation,” he added. However, BJP’s IT cell head Amit Malviya countered this narrative, pointing out the Congress party’s historical resistance to caste-based census. “Congress governments have consistently opposed caste-based census until now. In every census conducted since independence, caste has not been counted. In 2010, then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh assured in the Lok Sabha that the Cabinet would consider the caste census. After this, a Cabinet Committee was formed, in which most political parties recommended a caste-based census. Despite this, the Congress government deemed it appropriate to conduct only a survey (SECC) instead of a caste census,” BJP leader Amit Malviya said. “Even after this, Congress and its allied parties used the issue of caste census merely for their political benefit,” he added. Union minister Kiren Rijiju also attacked Congress for taking credit and said that grand-old-party can “only talk. — KirenRijiju (@KirenRijiju) “I fail to understand why is Congress party taking credit??” Rijiju said. “Congress Party had opposed Caste Census & Reservations on records. PM Narendra Modi ji has taken right decision at right time. Congress can only talk nothing else,” he added. Taking to X, the Andhra Pradesh chief minister Revanth Reddy said, “We are proud that the actions of the Telangana govt for OBC empowerment have inspired the country, and India has agreed to follow our state’s lead.” — revanth_anumula (@revanth_anumula) “We congratulate the central govt on deciding to conduct a caste census as part of the next national census. Thank you, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the cabinet,” he added. A caste census involves systematically recording individuals’ caste identities during a national census. In India, where caste influences social, economic, and political life, such data can offer valuable insights into the distribution and socio-economic status of various caste groups. This information can help shape policies related to affirmative action and social justice. Caste enumeration was a regular feature of census exercises during British rule from 1881 to 1931. However, with the first census of independent India in 1951, the government chose to discontinue the practice, except for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.