HP Congress hails caste census, BJP accuses it of playing politics

Even as the Congress’ Himachal unit hailed the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for initiating the caste census, Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) accused the grand old party of “playing politics” over the issue.

“This was a demand raised by Rahul Gandhi and it has been accepted,” Himachal chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Thursday while speaking to mediapersons.

Sukhu added, “the purpose of the caste census was not to divide the society, but to address the injustice faced by certain communities.”

“This is not about creating division based on caste. This is a vision, a thought process. For communities who have been historically deprived—even 75 years after independence, this is about ensuring they get their rightful share in the nation’s wealth and opportunities,” Sukhu said. Terming the decision as “historic”, local BJP unit emphasised that such a step was being taken after 94 years.

BJP MP from Shimla Suresh Kashyap said, “The last caste census was conducted in 1931 and since, successive governments under the Congress never attempted to revisit it. For 94 years, no caste census was carried out. The Congress ruled for decades but never considered it.” He was talking to media on the sidelines of a Shimla BJP unit meeting.

Kashyap criticised leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for what he said was “politicising caste issues without ever taking concrete steps to address them”.

Successive Cong govts failed to undertake caste census: Shimla MP

“From (Pandit Jawahar Lal) Nehru to Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, no one ever conducted a caste census. In fact, Indira and Rajiv opposed reservations. Nehru even said he did not want to create a nation of elderly dependents,” Kashyap said.

The MP claimed that even during the tenure of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2010, a proposal was considered but never materialised. “Manmohan Singh said it would be taken up in the cabinet and even appointed a minister for the language of the census. Despite support from all political parties, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram opposed it. In 2011, only a socio-economic survey was done ,not a caste census,” he added.

Praising what he claimed Modi’s inclusive development agenda, Kashyap said, “The BJP fulfils what it promises and even what it never explicitly claims. This decision proves that.”