Jairam Ramesh accuses Centre of delaying caste census, flags policy inconsistencies

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday, April 12, slammed Narendra Modi led government of attempting to delay the implementation of a caste-based census, alleging inconsistencies in its stated position over the years.

In a post on X dated April 12, Ramesh outlined what he described as a series of contradictory steps taken by the Union government on the issue. He referred to a response in the Lok Sabha on July 20, 2021, in which the government stated that it had decided not to enumerate caste-wise population beyond Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes as a matter of policy.

He further noted that on September 21, 2021, the Centre filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court reiterating its decision not to conduct a caste-based census. Ramesh also alleged that the government had criticised the Congress for advocating such an exercise, describing the demand as reflective of a “naxal mindset”.

Highlighting subsequent developments, the Congress leader pointed to what he termed a shift in stance in 2025, when the government announced that caste enumeration would be included in the forthcoming national census. He said the announcement came at a time when the country was responding to the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.

Ramesh also cited remarks made during a 2025 press conference by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, who indicated that most of the data from the ongoing Census exercise would only be available by 2027 due to the transition to an online enumeration process.

Questioning the timeline, he said states such as Telangana and Bihar had completed similar caste-based surveys within a significantly shorter duration. He also criticised the Centre’s reported move to amend provisions related to Article 334A, arguing that such steps could further delay the availability of caste census data.

The Congress leader alleged that the government’s approach reflected an attempt to defer the exercise, and accused the Prime Minister of misleading the public on the issue. He further linked the matter to the implementation of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, suggesting that the absence of updated caste data could have implications for policy decisions related to women’s representation.

The Union government has not issued an immediate response to the allegations.