Centre gave headline but where is deadline: Congress on govt's caste census move
NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday attacked the government after its announcement of the decision to include caste enumeration in the forthcoming census, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the "master of giving a headline without a deadline".
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said many questions arise about the decision, especially on the intention of the government, and demanded that the census should be done as soon as possible.
Taking a swipe at the prime minister at a debriefing at the party's 24, Akbar Road office here, Ramesh said he is the "master at giving a headline without a deadline".
Asserting that the barrier of 50 per cent cap on reservations should be removed, Ramesh asked what is stopping the Modi government from doing this.
The Congress demands that there should be a Constitutional Amendment and the 50 per cent cap on reservations be removed, he said, adding that the caste census would be meaningful only when this is done.
Ramesh cited a December, 2019 Cabinet meeting press release which stated that the Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for conducting the census of India in 2021 at the cost of Rs 8,254 crore.
He pointed out that there was no mention of caste enumeration in that press release.
"Everyone knows that this census has not been done and six years have passed. Surprisingly, the announcement was made by the government yesterday," he said.
Ramesh, however, urged the government to keep a roadmap for the caste census before the country.
In the 2025-26 Budget, only Rs 575 crore has been allocated to the office of the census commissioner, he pointed out.
"So what kind of census are they planning to get done in Rs 575 crore. So what is the intention-- is it just about giving a headline? What is their intention? Many questions arise on the intention," the Congress leader said.
"You should have gotten the census done in 2021. They cite the Covid pandemic but more than 50 countries did their census during Covid. The pandemic was not there in 2023, 2024, but they did not get it done," Ramesh said.
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