Caste enumeration in the census: “We support the decision, but a timetable needs to be implemented”

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi held a press conference at the AICC office in New Delhi on April 30, 2025. Image source: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap

Opposition leader said on Wednesday (30 April 2025) that he welcomed the government’s “sudden” decision to include caste enumeration in the upcoming census, after which it “opposes 11 years” but should provide a timeline for its implementation.

His comment comes within hours of the government’s announcement that it will include caste enumeration in a “transparent” way in the upcoming census exercise.

“We fully support this (the government’s decision), but we want a timeline. We want to know when it will be done,” Gandhi said at a press conference in New Delhi.

“This is the first step, and Telangana is a model for the caste census,” he said.

Reaffirming the need to eliminate the 50% cap on bookings, Mr. Gandhi said that funds should be allocated for the caste census. “We want people’s census, not bureaucratic census,” he added.

Opposition parties, including Congress, have been demanding a national caste census, making it a major election issue. Some states such as Bihar, Telangana and Karnataka have conducted such surveys.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the decision made by the Cabinet Political Affairs Committee, saying on Wednesday (April 30, 2025) that the census belongs to the position of the center, but that some states have conducted caste enumerations in the name of “non-perspective”, which has raised social doubts.