Union Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday (April 30, 2025) targeted the Congress party, particularly its senior leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, on the matter of caste-based enumeration.
He dared the Congress to clarify its inability to carry out such a census during its tenure in office before staking claim to the Union government's recent move to include caste data in the national census.
Referring to a media briefing in the State capital on the Union Cabinet's decision to clear caste counting in the future census exercise, Chouhan charged the Opposition bloc led by the Congress of rushing to assume ownership of an initiative started by the incumbent dispensation.
When they were in power, they did not conduct a caste census. But now that they are in the Opposition, they are demanding it. Rahulji has to explain why successive Congress governments did not introduce such a census," Chouhan stated. He also reminded that earlier Congress Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Rajiv Gandhi had allegedly opposed the notion of gathering caste-based information.
Citing former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's promise in Parliament, Chouhan pointed out that while a ministerial panel was constituted to discuss the matter, a credible caste census never took place. Instead, the Congress-led UPA government proceeded with the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) in 2011. In Chouhan's view, the exercise was filled with defects. "The survey contained a number of errors, but they were hidden. Lying and deceiving are part of the DNA of the Congress," he claimed.
The veteran BJP leader and former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh underlined that the next caste census will be carried out in an inclusive and impartial manner. "It will be done without bringing social disharmony. Earlier, our government gave a 10% reservation for the economically weaker sections, and it was done peacefully," he averred.
Meeting Congress' call for details on the timeline and the budget for the census, Chouhan said brusquely, "The census will have a budget, of course. That's common sense. But will dates be finalized with the Opposition's consultation? It will be finalized in due course, keeping national interest in view."
Taking a swipe at Rahul Gandhi’s interpretation of constitutional roles and processes, Chouhan suggested he seek additional guidance. “The Congress leader should take tuitions to better understand the Constitution,” he said, referencing Gandhi’s comments about a caste survey conducted by the Telangana Congress government. Chouhan clarified, “What happened in Telangana was a survey, not a caste census.”
Chouhan concluded by blaming the Congress for historically nurturing social divisions. "The Congress has always had a vision of dividing society," he said, while emphasizing that the government's strategy would be based on correct data and focused on inclusivity.
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