New Delhi, April 30: The Centre has decided to include caste enumeration in the upcoming national census, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced after the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, met on Wednesday.
Vaishnaw criticized past Congress governments for opposing a caste census and opting for caste surveys instead, calling such state-level exercises "unscientific."
He cited the 2022 Bihar caste survey, which revealed that OBCs and EBCs make up 63% of the population, as a rare example of comprehensive data.
Vaishnaw also accused Congress and the INDI alliance of politicizing the issue.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has consistently pushed for a caste census, claiming the BJP and RSS oppose it to obscure minority representation.
