NEW DELHI: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday accused the Centre of trying to delay and weaken the caste census, claiming the government is effectively seeking to “put the caste census in cold storage” despite earlier assurances.
In a detailed statement, Ramesh outlined what he described as a pattern of shifting positions by the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on caste enumeration. He noted that on July 20, 2021, the government informed the Lok Sabha that it had decided as a matter of policy not to enumerate caste-wise population data beyond the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in the Census.
He added that this stance was reiterated in an affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court on September 21, 2021, where the government said it had taken a “conscious policy decision” not to conduct a caste census. Ramesh also recalled that the Prime Minister, in an April 28, 2024, television interview, had criticised the demand, alleging that the Congress had an “urban Naxal mindset” for advocating caste-based enumeration.
According to Ramesh, the government appeared to change its position on April 30, 2025, when it announced that caste enumeration would be included in the upcoming national census, even as the country was grappling with the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. He said the timing and subsequent developments raise questions about the government’s intent.
Referring to a press conference on March 30, 2026, he said the Registrar General and Census Commissioner had indicated that most results of the ongoing Census 2027 would be available within the same year due to the use of digital processes. However, he alleged that the government now intends to amend Article 334-A in a way that could delay the release of caste census data by several years.
“Overlooking the fact that both Bihar and Telangana completed comprehensive caste surveys in less than six months, the Modi government now wants to ensure that caste census results are not available for years,” Ramesh said.
He further accused the Prime Minister of “misleading the country and engaging in massive deception,” arguing that the proposed changes would undermine a measure unanimously passed by Parliament in September 2023. “The hidden agenda is simply not to have the caste census,” he alleged.
The Centre has not officially responded to the remarks so far, but the issue remains politically contentious, with opposition parties pressing for transparency and timely implementation, while the government maintains that census-related decisions involve complex administrative and policy considerations.
Agencies