Congress questions govt's intention on caste census; BJP says Cong carrying out 'false' propaganda out of frustration
NEW DELHI: The Congress on Tuesday accused the Centre of delaying the caste census, saying its intention appears to be to "buy time, grab headlines and manage the narrative", and asked the government to be transparent about the exercise.
Congress general secretary Sachin Pilot said the objective cannot just be to collect data on an individual's caste but to understand the living conditions of these families and create policies to substantially improve their livelihoods.
He said there are doubts about the government's intentions on the caste census and pointed out that the required funding for the census is Rs 10,000 crore whereas the government has allocated only Rs 574 crore.
His remarks come a day after a Home Ministry spokesperson made it clear that the census will include caste enumeration, following the Congress' charge that the government notification is "silent" on the inclusion of caste in the exercise.
"The demand for a caste census was led by the Congress party, particularly by the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, who has been raising this issue for several years.
"Due to the party's continuous and forceful demand, the Modi government has yielded and announced a caste census. However, the facts and figures tell a different story," Pilot said at a press conference at the Congress' Indira Bhawan headquarters here on Tuesday.
The government plans to start the exercise in 2027, but the required funding for the census is Rs 10,000 crore, whereas the government has allocated only Rs 574 crore, he pointed out.
"The objective is not just to collect data on an individual's caste but to understand the living conditions of these families and create policies to substantially improve their livelihoods.
Without tangible data, no state or central government can implement targeted interventions, which is what we aimed to achieve," he said.
Initially, the BJP labelled us as "urban naxals" and refused to accept these demands and now, sensing the country's mood, they have accepted the proposal in principle, he said.
"However, there seems to be considerable confusion and dissatisfaction regarding it. Therefore, I urge the government to be clear and transparent, avoiding extended deadlines and inadequate budget allocations," Pilot said.
"The idea is to accurately assess the status of people living in India, and caste census is the perfect way to do it. Unfortunately, it appears the government's intention is to buy time, grab headlines, and manage the narrative," he said.
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