Fully Support Caste Census, Telangana Can Become Blueprint For Caste Survey: Rahul Gandhi

The Congress leader, while extending support for the caste survey also demanded a timeline from the government for conducting the nationwide exercise.

File photo of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Source : PTI

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday backed the government's announcement for a caste survey and said Telangana can become a blueprint for the nationwide survey. 

Speaking during a press conference in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi said, "We said this in Parliament that we will make Caste Census happen. We also said that we will break that 50 per-cent cap that was an artificial wall. I don’t know what happened after 11 years that cabinet announced caste census as PM Narendra Modi used to say that there are only four castes."

The Congress leader, while extending support for the caste survey also demanded a timeline from the government for conducting the nationwide exercise.

"We support this (government's decision) completely but we want a timeline. We want to know by when it will be done. This is the first step and Telangana is a model for caste census.  While reiterating the demand for removing the 50 per cent cap on reservations," Rahul Gandhi said. 

"Article 15(5) is about reservation in private educational institutions. This law already exists. And we want the NDA government, the BJP government, to start implementing this law. They had delayed the census and previously opposed it. Now they have adopted our vision, and we welcome that," he said.

The government on Wednesday announced that caste enumeration will be included in the next census exercise in a transparent manner. The Congress and other opposition parties have been demanding a nationwide caste census, making it a major election issue. Several states, including Bihar, Telangana and Karnataka have already conducted such surveys.

The government decision comes ahead of assembly elections in Bihar, where several parties including some BJP allies have been coming out in support of the caste census.

Announcing the decision taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the census comes under the purview of the Centre, but some states have done caste enumeration in the name of surveys non-transparently which has created doubts in the society.