Mumbai, November 12 Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje recently reaffirmed that an upcoming census in India will not be based on caste, dismissing the Congress party's call for a caste-based census.
Speaking in Mumbai, Karandlaje emphasized that such a census could lead to divisions within the country. "We cannot divide the country on the basis of caste and religion," she stated, accusing Congress of using caste for political gain.
She further criticized Congress's policies in Karnataka, asserting they favor specific communities.
The debate around a caste census has intensified, especially as the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra has promised one in its manifesto for the upcoming Assembly elections. MVA leaders have pledged to lift the existing 50% reservation cap if elected, aiming to better address caste-based representation.
Earlier, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh criticized Congress’s nationwide caste census proposal, calling it misleading. Singh reminded the public of the complexities and failures of the 2011 socio-economic caste census, which identified 46 lakh caste and lineage categories, a data set too vast to release.
