"Sudden, complete, and desperate U-turn": Congress MP Jairam Ramesh criticizes PM Modi over caste census

New Delhi [India], May 4 (ANI): Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Sunday sharply criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for what he described as a 'sudden and desperate U-turn' on caste census in India. The central government had recently announced that caste enumeration would be part of the upcoming national census, a move that has sparked widespread political discussion.
Through a social media post, the Congress leader highlighted how the Modi government had previously opposed the idea of a caste-based census.
He referred to three instances that he says clearly show the government's change in stance. In April 2024, Prime Minister Modi, during a television interview, had labeled those demanding a caste census as "urban naxals."
Ramesh also recalled that in July 2021, the central government had informed Parliament that it had decided not to collect caste-wise population data, except for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST).
Taking to social media, X, Jairam Ramesh wrote, "Evidence abounds on Mr. Modi's sudden, complete, and desperate U-turn on the caste census. Here are just three examples- Last year, on April 28 2024, in a TV interview he branded all those demanding a caste census as "urban naxals. On July 20, 2021, the Modi Government told Parliament that it had "decided as a matter of policy not to enumerate caste-wise population other than SCs and STs in the Census.'
https://x.com/Jairam_Ramesh/status/1918910442631524533
"In its affidavit to the Supreme Court of India dated 21st September 2021, the Modi Government clearly stated that "The exclusion of information regarding any other caste [outside of SCs and STs] from the purview of census [2021] is a conscious policy decision taken by the Central Government as explained in the preceding paragraphs." In fact, the Modi Government explicitly urged the Supreme Court not to order a caste census for the OBCs - "In such a situation, any direction from this Hon'ble Court to Census Department to include the enumeration of Socio-Economic data to the extent relating to BCCs of Rural Indiain the upcoming Census, 2021, as prayed, would tantamount to interfering with a policy decision as framed under Section 8 of the Act," the post further reads.
Further, Ramesh pointed to an affidavit filed by the government in the Supreme Court in September 2021. In the document, the government had argued that excluding caste data, apart from SCs and STs, was a conscious policy decision. It had also requested the court not to direct the Census Department to include caste enumeration for OBCs, saying such a move would interfere with policy matters.
In light of the Centre's current decision to now include caste enumeration, Ramesh asked Prime Minister Modi to explain the shift. He posed three questions: whether the Prime Minister would acknowledge that the government had officially changed its policy, whether he would clarify the reasons behind this change, and whether he would commit to a timeline for the caste census.
"Three questions to the Prime Minister @narendramodi, Will he have the honesty to acknowledge that his Government has officially changed its policy on the caste census over the last eleven years? Will he explain to the people and the Parliament the reasons for the change in the Government's policy? Will he commit to a timeline for the Caste Census?" the post reads.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders have defended the move, calling it constitutionally sound and important for promoting social equity. (ANI)