After 11 years of continued opposition and stubborn refusal, the Modi government has finally conceded the demand of the Indian National Congress to collect population data caste wise, as part of the next census. For 11 years, the Prime Minister attacked the Congress leadership for raising this demand. No details however, have been provided of what the government intends to do and no financial allocations have been made.

The Congress President, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, wrote to the Prime Minister on April 16, 2023, demanding a caste census. He had also demanded an up-to-date and comprehensive caste census. He has also been demanding the removal of the arbitrary ceiling of 50% on reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBC.

Shri Rahul Gandhi has been the strongest and most consistent voice, demanding a nationwide caste census. At the 2022 Nav Sankalp Shivir in Udaipur, he raised the urgent need to gather data on caste so that government policies could truly reflect the lived realities of the marginalized. This demand was reiterated at the Congress plenary in Raipur in 2023, and was a central feature of both the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha manifestos of the Congress. In Parliament, in speeches across the country, and during the two ‘Bharat Jodo Yatras’, and most recently at a press conference, Shri Rahul Gandhi has asserted that caste census was essential for deepening social justice. He had stated that policies of reservation, welfare, and inclusion cannot be based on outdated assumptions or arbitrary caps but must be grounded in facts.

The Congress Party also demands the urgent implementation of Article 15(5) of the Constitution, which enables the provision of reservations for OBCs, Dalits, and Adivasis in private educational institutions. This demand was clearly articulated in the Congress manifesto and reaffirmed by Shri Rahul Gandhi as a necessary and overdue step toward educational justice. In an era when private institutions play an increasingly dominant role in higher education, the exclusion of marginalised communities from these spaces only worsens inequality. Article 15(5) is not just a constitutional provision. It is a social justice imperative. The Congress firmly believes that quality education must be made accessible to OBCs, EBCs, Dalits, and Adivasis in both public and private institutions alike.

The Congress Working Committee believes that the model followed by Telangana provides an effective and inclusive framework that the Government of India must emulate. In Telangana, the design of the caste survey was developed through a consultative and transparent process, with the active involvement of civil society, social scientists, and community leaders. Rather than being a closed bureaucratic exercise, it was open to public inputs and scrutiny. The CWC strongly urges the central government to adopt a similar approach for the national caste census. We offer our full support in helping the government shape a credible, scientific, and participatory model. We are ready to collaborate on designing a framework that reflects the values of consultation, accountability, and inclusiveness.

This exercise must not be delayed. All political parties must be taken into full confidence. Parliament must immediately have a debate on this issue. The government must immediately allocate the necessary funds and announce a clear timeline for every stage of the census, from the preparation of the questionnaire and methodology to the actual enumeration, classification, and eventual publication of the data. The process must be transparent and inclusive at every step. The data collected should serve as the basis for a wide-ranging review of public policy, especially in the areas of reservations, welfare schemes, educational access, and employment opportunities. The CWC believes that a caste census, properly designed and implemented, will work to the benefit of all sections of society.