BJP leaders welcome ‘historic' decision on caste census
'This bold and transparent move marks a significant step towards social justice, informed policymaking, and the strengthening of India's social fabric,' said Rajya Sabha MP and national OBC morcha president K.Laxman on Wednesday.
In a press release, he said the last comprehensive caste census in India was conducted by the British government in 1931. Since then, except for data on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, no official caste enumeration has taken place at the national level. Absence of accurate data has hampered the formulation and implementation of welfare policies for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and other marginalised communities, he said.
In a separate statement, Union Minister of State for Home and Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Central government for taking this 'bold and courageous step'. This decision will immensely benefit the people of the nation as a scientific and precise caste census of each caste will be accurately recorded paving the way for fair implementation of reservations without harming the interests of any community. He appealed to all political parties, caste-based organisations, intellectuals, and educationists to support this initiative rising above political interests.
The BJP leaders also criticised the Congress Party for its 'hypocrisy' in neglecting caste based census when in power and for not releasing caste data collected through a private entity. Since independence, the Congress-led governments have never included caste data during population enumerations and those conducted by some State governments including Telangana lacked 'transparency'.
These surveys were done for political gain, inflating the population of favourable castes and suppressing others, leading to division and unrest within communities, they charged. Other party leaders too welcomed the decision.
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