Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], May 1 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party leader Aparajita Sarangi on Thursday termed the 2011 caste census a “haphazard survey” and said that the central government has decided to conduct a caste census, keeping in view the people’s needs.
“It is a great step by the PM Modi government. This has been done because Prime Minister Modi has recognised its importance; this government always cares for the needy, poor, and vulnerable, and it is important to know the vulnerability of the caste that is spread across the country. UPA government conducted a caste census in 2011, but it was a haphazard survey,” Sarangi told reporters.
She further asked why Congress did not make the census public if it had done so in 2011.
“This one will be a real caste census, and that one (2011) was a survey,” the BJP leader added.
The BJP leader said that the caste census would be a significant milestone for progress in the days to come.
“Every step in the Modi government is well-timed, so when something is required, it is done… Prime Minister Modi’s government is its own competitor… The government takes decisions keeping in view the needs of the people,” she said.
According to Article 246 of the Constitution of India, the Census is a Union subject listed at item 69 in the Union List of the Seventh Schedule.
On Wednesday, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, while announcing the decision of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, also highlighted how, while some states conducted their own caste census, he worried about their transparency or intent, claiming that some censuses were conducted “purely from a political angle.”
“While some states have conducted surveys to enumerate castes, these surveys have varied in transparency and intent, with some conducted purely from a political angle, creating doubts in society. Considering all these circumstances, and to ensure that our social fabric does not come under political pressure, it has been decided that caste enumeration should be included in the main census instead of being conducted as a separate survey,” Vaishnaw said.
Bihar, Karnataka and Telangana have already conducted a caste census in their respective state. Telangana has also implemented a 42 pc Backward Classes reservation for people in the state. (ANI)
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