Committed to nationwide caste census, BJP should clear stand, says Congress

The Congress on Wednesday reiterated its commitment to conducting a nationwide socio-economic caste census as part of its participatory justice agenda and asked the BJP to clear its stand on the issue.

Noting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Bihar's Bettiah on Wednesday, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh claimed that there would be a "barrage of lies and statements" and urged the prime minister to speak on the issue of cast census.

Ramesh said the people of the country have four main questions for Modi, including why his government is not conducting the regular census that takes place every 10 years.

"This was to happen in 2021 itself but has not been conducted till now. The census will provide a complete picture of the population of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and linguistic and religious minorities, apart from other data," he said in a post in Hindi on X.

Why has the Modi government not released the caste-related data under the socio-economic caste census conducted in 2011, which was collected from 250 million families, Ramesh asked.

"The INDIA coalition government in Bihar conducted the socio-economic caste census and released its results. What is the vision of the 'new' NDA government in Bihar to advance social and economic justice for the disadvantaged communities and families revealed in the census?" he asked.

"The Congress party is committed to conducting a nationwide comprehensive socio-economic caste census as part of its participatory justice agenda. Our state governments across the country are taking initiatives for this in their respective states. What is the BJP's stand on this issue?" the Congress leader asked.