'Credit war': Both Centre, opposition claim caste census their decision
What's the story
The Indian government's decision to include caste counting in the next census has ignited a credit war. Both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and opposition Congress party have claimed credit for the decision. As soon as Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs has approved this major policy shift, the Congress was quick to jump in the credit queue.
Congress's stance
Congress claims credit for caste census decision
Taking to X, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh stated that the party made the demand in its April 9, 2025, resolution on social justice, which was passed at the AICC conference in Ahmedabad. Additionally, Ramesh shared a letter from Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge to PM Narendra Modi on April 16, 2023, requesting that a thorough caste count be included in the decennial census. Agreeing with Ramesh, Kharge said Congress "had continuously raised the...caste census, whose most vocal supporter was Rahul Gandhi."
BJP's response
BJP counters Congress's claims
In response to the Congress's claims, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) highlighted the latter party's history of opposing a caste-based census. Amit Malviya said Gandhi should stop taking credit for the government's decision, as Amit Shah had already signaled on September 18, 2024, that the announcement would be made. "In 2011, the Congress-led UPA government initiated the Socio-Economic and Caste Census....the first such attempt since 1931. However, the Congress failed to release the caste data, citing inconsistencies and classification issues."
Rijiju's remarks
Union Minister Rijiju criticizes Congress's claim
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju also slammed the Congress for claiming credit for the decision to conduct a caste census. He asked how they could take a stand like that after opposing such moves in the past. Opposition parties have been demanding a nationwide caste census, making it a key election issue, while states such as Bihar, Telangana, and Karnataka have done similar surveys. The census was scheduled to begin in April 2020, but it was postponed due to the pandemic.