Owaisi demands clarity on caste census timeline, asks "if data will be made available ahead of 2029 Lok Sabha polls"

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], May 1 (ANI): All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday pressed for an early implementation of the caste census and sought to know whether or not the report will be available ahead of 2029 parliamentary elections.
He emphasised that exercise is important for ensuring justice and effective affirmative action in India.
"There should be a caste census so that it can be known which caste is developed and which caste is underdeveloped... This is very important for affirmative action and justice in the country, because you have stopped the reservation of OBCs at just 27 per cent, this is not enough..."
Owaisi also questioned government's intentions and timeline for the caste census.
"We would like to know from the BJP when will you start it and by when will you complete it. Will its report come before the 2029 parliamentary elections or not?..."
Referring to reports of an RSS meeting held in Kerala where the idea of a caste census was discussed, Owaisi said, "There was an RSS meeting in Kerala, in that meeting too they had talked about conducting caste census. We want to know when the government will start the census and when will it be completed and when will its data be presented to the country."
Meanwhile, asking for a clear roadmap and timeline for the caste enumeration in the forthcoming census, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Thursday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for just providing a "headline without a deadline."
"Like what Rahul Gandhi said yesterday, 'headline toh de diya, lekin deadline kaha hai?' Our PM is an expert in giving headlines without deadlines. He said that caste will be involved, and Rahul Gandhi asked for a roadmap for it... We have been asking for it for the last six years," he said.
Addressing a press conference, Ramesh questioned the government's intent and preparedness, pointing to inadequate budget allocations for the operation and a lack of clarity on implementation details.
He highlighted discrepancies in funding, noting that the budget allocated to the census commissioner's office for this year was Rs 575 crore, which contradicts PM Modi's 2019 claim of requiring Rs 8254 crore for the national census.
"In 2025-26, the census commissioner's office in the Home Ministry, which has been given the responsibility of conducting the caste census, was allocated Rs 575 crore in the budget. But on 24 December 2019, PM Narendra Modi's government said that Rs 8254 crore is required for the national census... So, what is the purpose and the intent? Only a headline? No details. No Budget... This is the reality," he stated.
Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, yesterday decided to include caste enumeration in the upcoming census. (ANI)