Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi Welcomes Caste Census Decision
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressed a press conference in New Delhi on April 30, 2025, welcoming the government’s decision to include caste enumeration in the upcoming census. Gandhi, who has been opposing the census for 11 years, said he supports the move but wants a timeline for its implementation.
Gandhi said, "We support this (government’s decision) completely but we want a timeline. We want to know by when it will be done." He also highlighted Telangana as a model for caste census and demanded funds for the caste census, stating, "We want people’s census, not bureaucrats’ census."
The opposition parties, including the Congress, have been demanding a nationwide caste census, making it a major election issue. Some states like Bihar, Telangana, and Karnataka have conducted such surveys. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the decision taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, stating that the census comes under the purview of the Centre, but some states have done caste enumeration in the name of surveys "non-transparently," creating doubts in the society.
Reference : https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/rahul-gandhi-on-caste-census/article69510895.ece