The Centre is deliberating on the inclusion of a caste column in the national census, which has been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to government sources. India has conducted a census every ten years since 1881, but the next iteration has been postponed in the wake of the pandemic.
There is a growing demand across the political spectrum for a caste-based census. In August, citing data from India Today’s Mood of the Nation (MOTN) survey, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, stated, “Modiji, if you are thinking of stopping the caste census, you are dreaming — no power can stop it now. India’s order has come — soon 90 percent of Indians will support and demand a caste census. Implement the order now, or you will see the next Prime Minister doing it.”
The MOTN survey indicated strong public support for a caste census, with 74% of respondents in favor, up from 59% in the previous survey conducted in February.
The demand for a caste census extends beyond opposition parties. Some allies of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), such as MP Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)] in Bihar, have also advocated for a nationwide caste census. The call for a national caste census intensified following the release of Bihar’s statewide caste survey by Nitish Kumar’s JD(U). Released in October last year, the survey revealed that over 80% of the state’s population belongs to extremely backward classes.
Additionally, following controversy over lateral entry hiring in government jobs, Chirag Paswan reiterated that his party has consistently supported the caste census.
The implementation of the Women’s Reservation Act, passed by Parliament last year, is also linked to the completion of the decennial census. The Act, which reserves one-third of the seats for women candidates in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, is expected to come into effect after a delimitation exercise, which will commence once the census data is available.
