Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday welcomed the government’s “sudden” decision to include caste enumeration in the upcoming population census, stating that it comes after “11 years of opposing it.” He also demanded the government present a budget and a clear timeline for its implementation.
His comments came hours after the Union Cabinet announced that caste enumeration would be included in the forthcoming census exercise in a “transparent” manner.
Addressing a press conference, the Congress leader said, “We support this completely but we want a timeline. We want to know when it will be done.”
While reiterating the demand for removing the 50 per cent cap on reservations, Gandhi said funds should be allocated for the caste census. He acknowledged the Union Cabinet’s announcement as the “first step” and said Telangana is a model for implementing the caste census.
He said, “This is the first step and Telangana is a model for caste census. We will design the caste census. There are two examples: Telangana and Bihar. There is a huge difference.”
The Congress described the government’s decision to include caste enumeration in the upcoming census as “better late than never” and asserted that it had been demanding this for long.
Taking a dig at the Congress, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, while announcing the decision in a cabinet briefing, claimed that Congress and its INDIA alliance partners have used caste census time and again as a political tool, adding that the previous UPA governments failed to conduct a caste census but held surveys.
Opposition parties, including the Congress, have time and again demanded a nationwide caste census, making it a major electoral issue. Bihar, Telangana, and Karnataka have already conducted caste-based surveys at the state level.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the party had raised the issue in its resolution on social justice, which was passed in Ahmedabad on April 9, 2025. “Better late than never,” he said in a post on X.
Ramesh also shared screenshots of the resolution ‘Nyaypath’ in which the party had listed its initiatives for achieving social justice.
Later, Ramesh also shared a letter written by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, dated April 16, 2023, in which he had demanded that the decennial census be carried out and a comprehensive caste census be made a part of it.
“On April 16 2023 – that is, over two years back – Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge had written this letter to the PM. Need anything more be said?” he said.
In its resolution passed during the AICC session in Ahmedabad on April 9, the Congress reiterated its commitment to enacting a central law for the SC/ST sub-plan and ensuring that budgetary allocations are made proportionate to their population.
Tejashwi Yadav reacts to caste census
Reacting to the Union Cabinet’s decision to include caste in the upcoming census, former Bihar Chief Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav said that when the Bihar government raised reservations to 65 per cent based on its caste survey findings, they had also demanded from the Centre to place this provision under Schedule 9 of the Constitution to protect it from judicial review, but it hasn’t been done yet.
Yadav said, “Even when we increased the reservation to 65 per cent based on the findings of the caste survey that we conducted in Bihar, we demanded from the central government that the provision be included in schedule 9, but till now, the government hasn’t done that… The caste census must be done before delimitation and then the way Dalits, SCs, STs and Adivasis have reserved seats in parliament and in state assemblies, OBCs and Extremely Backward classes must have reserve seats.”
Nitish Kumar congratulates Modi
In 2023, the Janata Dal (United), in alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), conducted a caste census in Bihar. Welcoming the Centre’s announcement, Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar expressed his support for a nationwide caste census.
In a post on X, the Bihar CM congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the decision. He said, “Our demand for conducting caste census is old. Conducting caste census will reveal the number of people of different classes, which will help in making plans for their upliftment and development. This will accelerate the development of the country.”
Akhilesh Yadav calls it India’s victory
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav attributed the “victory” in the caste census battle to his late father Mulayam Singh Yadav’s efforts in Parliament and “eminent thinkers of social justice and empowerment” for their “continuous struggle” to make it happen.
Siddaramaiah praises Rahul Gandhi’s efforts
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah congratulated Rahul Gandhi for his efforts in making both the caste census and increased reservation a national agenda of the party.
In a post on X, he wrote: “On this occasion, I congratulate the Congress party leaders Rahul Gandhi who have fully supported the decision to increase the reservation threshold along with the caste census and have made it a national program of our party and have been promoting it across the country.”
“It is because of their relentless efforts that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken the decision to conduct a caste census today, he may not agree with it, but the country definitely agrees,” Siddaramaiah added.
Karnataka’s caste census, commissioned in 2014, is yet to be implemented.
Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi 
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