"We want dignity and upliftment for all castes," says BJP's Sudhanshu Trivedi on caste census

New Delhi [India], June 17 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP and spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi on Tuesday criticised the Congress party, saying they have a habit of overlooking important issues.
He said that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the NDA is focused on inclusive development.
During the press conference, Sudhanshu Trivedi said, "Under the leadership of PM Modi, the cabinet has decided to conduct the census. In the press release, it was clearly stated that along with the census, for the first time in the history of independent India, a social, economic survey, and caste census will also be done. Congress party has a habit of overlooking important issues, whether it's Operation Sadbhav or CAA, etc ..Under PM Modi's leadership, the NDA stands for 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' (inclusive development)."
He said that the party supports dignity and progress for all castes, but accused the Congress of spreading false claims about the caste census.
He said Congress is wrongly using the example of Telangana, where only a survey is being done, not a full census.
Trivedi also alleged that Congress, which ruled India for decades, kept power within one family and failed to support real economic development.
"Regarding the caste census, we want dignity and upliftment for all castes. However, the Congress party has a contrasting approach. They're citing the example of Telangana, but they need to understand that it's a survey underway, not a census. The Congress party, which ruled this country for three decades and never allowed anyone outside the family to hold key positions, is now spreading false narratives against the caste census. Congress hasn't worked towards holistic economic growth in any development project," he added
"The notification of the caste census is done by the centre. The state cannot conduct a caste census. So, the States can only conduct a survey. Wherever the Congress comes to power, their 'Khata Khat' model is becoming a big challenge for the country's development," Trivedi said.
On Monday, the central government notified the population census, the process of which will begin in March 2027.
As per a gazette notification released by the Ministry of Home Affairs, "In exercise of the powers conferred by Section three of the Census Act 1948 and in suppression of the notification of the Government of India in the Ministry of Home Affairs dated March 26, 2018, the Central Government declared that a census of the population of India shall be taken during the year 2027, as per a circular released by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
"The reference date for the census shall be March 1, 2027, except for the Union territory of Ladakh and the snow-bound non-synchronous areas of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Furthermore, the reference date for the Union Territory of Ladakh, snow-bound non-synchronous areas of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, and the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand will be October 1, 2026.
The Census will be conducted in two phases. In phase 1, House Listing Operation (HLO), the housing conditions, assets and amenities of each household will be collected.
Subsequently, in the second phase, Population Enumeration (PE), the demographic, socio-economic, cultural and other details of every person in each household will be collected.
Caste enumeration will also be done during the census.
For Census activities, about 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors and around 1.3 lakh Census functionaries would be deployed. This is the 16th Census since its beginning and the 8th since independence.
The ensuing Census will be conducted through digital means using mobile applications.
Provision of Self-enumeration would also be made available to the people.
Very stringent data security measures would be kept in place to ensure data security at the time of collection, transmission and storage. (ANI)