BJP govt deliberately delaying caste-based census in India: Congress
New Delhi: The Congress party has said that the BJP-led Indian government is deliberately delaying the caste-based census and has shown no clear progress on the issue.
According to Kashmir Media Service, in a statement, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said that the government has so far failed to provide any clarification regarding the process, timeline, and methodology of the census. He noted that the issue has remained unresolved for the past one year, with no meaningful communication or action from the government, indicating an unnecessarily delay.
He recalled that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 16, 2023, demanding the caste-based data be included in the national census. However, he said, no response has been received to date.
Ramesh further said that instead of addressing the demand, the Prime Minister, during a television interview on April 28, 2024, described the call for a caste-based census as “urban Naxal thinking,” a remark for which he should apologize.
He added that the Congress party believes a caste-based census is essential for ensuring social and economic justice, as it would help safeguard the rights of marginalised, deprived, and weaker sections of society.
