NEW DELHI: On the birth anniversary of Dr B.R. Ambedkar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed his government’s unwavering commitment to the ideals of social justice and equity. In keeping with this vision, the decision to undertake a caste census marks yet another historic contribution towards empowering India’s underprivileged sections.
The Congress party, on the other hand, has a long and troubled history of treating caste not as a tool for empowerment but as a means for short-term electoral gains. Indira Gandhi, while projecting slogans like “Na jaat par na paat par, mohar lagegi haath par,” firmly opposed a caste census. Her successor, Rajiv Gandhi, shelved the Mandal Commission report for years and, more significantly, failed to confer constitutional status to the OBC Commission — a status that was later granted under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership. Notably, Rajiv Gandhi’s longest speech in Parliament was not in support of social justice but against the implementation of the Mandal recommendations.
Today, Rahul Gandhi and his supporters seek to appropriate credit for the Modi government’s decision to conduct a caste census. A closer look at history, however, reveals the truth. The practice of conducting a caste census in India dates back to 1881 and continued till 1931. Although caste data was collected in 1941, it was never released. Post-Independence, between 1951 to 2011, census exercises recorded data only for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, systematically excluding OBCs.
Congress’s ambiguous stance on reservation surfaces repeatedly through history. A former Congress Prime Minister reportedly described reservation beneficiaries as “fools,” underlining the party’s dismissive approach to genuine empowerment.
The UPA government, led by Manmohan Singh, promised a caste census in 2011 but fell short. Instead, it conducted the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) — a diluted exercise aimed more at political posturing than at delivering social justice. The SECC was riddled with errors; over eight crore mistakes were reported. Despite spending considerable resources, the caste data collected was never released to the public. Operational inefficiencies and the sheer scale of inaccuracies rendered the entire exercise futile.
Congress’s experiments with caste surveys at the state level fared no better. In Telangana, a recent caste census was marred by glaring irregularities. Forms meant for data collection were found dumped on roads and picked up by ragpickers. Several citizens alleged that enumerators never visited their homes, while others cited a lack of trust in the government as a reason for refusing to share information. As a result, the OBC population was grossly underreported.
The Karnataka experience under Congress was similarly chaotic. In Siddaramaiah’s first term as Chief Minister, a caste survey led by H. Kantharaj, then chairman of the Backward Classes Commission, cost the exchequer Rs 165 crore. Yet, the findings — leaked in 2016 — created panic within the Congress leadership. The numbers upset established political calculations: Lingayats were found to be far fewer than previously estimated, and Vokkaligas, too, were counted at lower percentages. The final report was tabled before the Karnataka cabinet only in April 2025 — almost a decade after the survey — and was conveniently pulled back by the Congress government at the last minute.
In contrast, the BJP has consistently advocated for genuine social justice. In 2010, it supported the idea of a caste census, recognizing it as essential for equitable policymaking. Unfortunately, the then Congress-led UPA government lacked the political will to carry out a proper exercise.
Prime Minister Modi’s decision to integrate the caste census with the decadal population census is a masterstroke. Conducted under the constitutional framework of Article 246, the census carries the force of law, ensuring robustness, scientific rigour, and credibility — qualities absent in state-level surveys designed for political expediency.
The aim is not to divide Hindus into ever narrower vote banks, as the opposition has often attempted, but to ensure caste representation without fostering caste domination. It is about identifying and uplifting those communities who, despite constitutional promises, have remained marginalized. By bringing them into the mainstream, the caste census will strengthen the social fabric of the Hindu community, not weaken it.
In an era where social justice must be defined by empowerment and opportunity rather than tokenism, Prime Minister Modi’s caste census initiative is a leap forward. It is a move rooted not in electoral calculations but in the spirit of Dr Ambedkar’s vision: that true social justice can only be achieved when opportunity is extended to every citizen, irrespective of their social origins.
The BJP’s approach re-affirms that commitment — moving away from caste as an instrument of division, towards caste as a means of genuine upliftment. India’s future lies not in fragmented identities, but in the creation of a more equitable society, built on the strong foundations of accurate data, sound policymaking, and unwavering political will.
Pradeep Bhandari, National Spokesperson, Bharatiya Janata Party