India
oi-Gaurav Sharma
Union
Minister
Ashiwini
Vaishnaw
on
Wednesday
confirmed
that
the
Modi
government
will
conduct
a
caste
census
in
India.
The
big
announcement
came
soon
after
the
Cabinet
Committee
on
Political
Affairs
meeting,
where
it
was
decided
that
caste
census
will
take
place
in
the
coming
days.
Opposition,
including
Congress,
RJD
and
SP,
have
been
targeting
the
Government
over
demand
to
conduct
a
caste
census.
The
big
decision
came
months
before
the
Bihar
Assembly
Elections
2025,
a
state
where
caste-based
politics
is
being
done
on
a
large
scale.
Minister
Ashiwini
Vaishnaw
Union
Minister
Ashiwini
Vaishnaw
said,
“Congress
govts
have
always
opposed
the
caste
census.
In
2010,
the
late
Dr
Manmohan
Singh
said
that
the
matter
of
caste
census
should
be
considered
in
the
Cabinet.
A
group
of
ministers
was
formed
to
consider
this
subject.
Most
of
the
political
parties
have
recommended
a
caste
census.
Despite
this,
the
Congress
government
decided
to
conduct
a
survey
of
caste
or
a
caste
census.
It
is
well
understood
that
Congress
and
its
INDI
alliance
partners
have
used
the
caste
census
only
as
a
political
tool.
Some
states
have
conducted
surveys
to
enumerate
castes.
While
some
states
have
done
this
well,
some
others
conducted
such
surveys
only
from
a
political
angle
in
a
non-transparent
way.
Such
surveys
created
doubts
in
society.
To
ensure
that
our
social
fabric
is
not
disturbed
by
politics,
caste
enumeration
should
be
included
in
the
census
instead
of
surveys….”
The
caste
census
in
India
will
take
place
almost
after
94
years.
“Cabinet
Committee
on
Political
Affairs
has
decided
today
that
Caste
enumeration
should
be
included
in
the
forthcoming
census,” said
Union
Minister
added.
