Spokesperson: Shri Sachin Pilot: He said that the caste census would meet the same fate as that of the Women Reservation Bill, which the government postponed even after it was passed in the Parliament. The Congress today expressed strong doubts about the intention of the government of India to carry out the caste census in the country.

He asked, if the preparation for the census was in its last stages in 2020, and the government had no trouble in holding elections or conducting surveys in 2021 and beyond, why would it now take six full years to count the population?

“Is the 2027 census being timed to engineer a new delimitation that benefits BJP-ruled states?” he asked while doubting the government’s intentions in this regard. He further said that the BJP government’s track record of backtracking, use of distraction tactics in times of its failures and its affinity to hypocrisy, we won’t be surprised if it quietly shelves the caste census once again.

He said, while the census would cost about Rs. 8,000 to Rs. 10,000 crores, the government had allocated a meagre Rs. 570 crores for the purpose, which clearly shows its intentions. -Tuesday, June 17, 2025