Congress skipped caste census in its 60 yrs of rule: BJP minister

BJP Backward Morcha’s Uttar Pradesh president and minister of state (independent charge) for backward welfare, Narendra Kashyap, on Thursday criticised the Congress for not conducting a caste census during its decades-long rule, accusing it of betraying backward communities with unfulfilled promises.

“Congress ruled the country for 60 years but never showed the courage to carry out a caste census. It kept misleading the backward sections of society,” Kashyap said while addressing the media in Lucknow.

Notably, the last caste-based enumeration was conducted during the 1931 census, and no such exercise has been undertaken since.

“In 2010, the Congress government gave an assurance in Parliament but never fulfilled it. Instead, it conducted a general survey under the banner of a social, economic and caste census,” he said.

Kashyap termed the BJP-led Centre’s approval for caste census as a “historic decision” following key moves like the abrogation of Article 370 and the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.

“This step will pave the way for better welfare of deprived, backward and marginalised groups. It is a move in the direction of social justice,” he said, asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policy of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” is delivering tangible change on the ground.

The minister also referred to the Mandal Commission report of 1980, which was based on the 1931 caste data and had estimated that around 52% of the country’s population belonged to Other Backward Classes (OBCs). On this basis, the Commission recommended 27% reservation for OBCs in government jobs and educational institutions.

Kashyap extended his criticism to the Samajwadi Party (SP), alleging it had always opposed caste census.

“When Akhilesh Yadav’s father was the defence minister, what stopped him from taking up the issue with the central government?” he asked, questioning the SP’s political stance on backward class issues. “Now they talk about PDA and caste census, but their past actions speak otherwise.”

The PDA, stands for ‘Picchde, Dalit, Alpsankhyak’, is a political formulation adopted by SP that helped it secure 37 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections—its best-ever performance in Uttar Pradesh, surpassing the previous record of 35 seats in 2004.