Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Congress national spokesperson Ragini Nayak on Saturday accused the Modi government of weakening the caste census process and demanded that the exercise be conducted using verified state-wise lists of SC, ST, OBC and general category communities.
Addressing a press conference, Nayak said the Congress had been demanding a caste census for several years and claimed that Rahul Gandhi had forced the government to announce the exercise for 2027.
She alleged that the government had earlier refused to conduct a caste census and had even told the Supreme Court that it was not possible.
Nayak said the current census format could create confusion because people from OBC and general categories may be able to enter their caste names freely.
She said the same caste could therefore be recorded under different names, spellings or sub-castes, making the final data unreliable.
She demanded that the government introduce a state-wise verified dropdown list of castes in the digital census. She said such lists are already available with the central and state governments for reservation and classification purposes.
Nayak referred to Telangana, where caste-wise data of around 3.55 crore people and their socio-economic status was collected and published, as an example of how the exercise could be conducted.
She said accurate caste data was necessary for fair representation, social justice, reservation and other policy decisions. She urged the government to consult political parties, experts and citizens before finalising the questionnaire.
Nayak said the Congress would continue its fight for Dalits, Tribals, OBCs, minorities and other disadvantaged groups and demanded a transparent and accurate caste census across the country.
