Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal has strongly defended the government’s decision to include caste data in the upcoming national census, reiterating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to social justice. Addressing the media in Bikaner, Meghwal highlighted the historical context of caste data collection and criticized the Congress party for withholding such information in the past.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is committed to social justice,” Meghwal said, emphasizing that the decision to include caste in the census is a vital step for creating targeted policies for the country’s marginalized communities.
He also pointed to the Congress-led UPA government’s earlier attempt to collect caste-based data during the 2011 census, but which was never made public. “Caste-based (census) data was collected in 2011 during the Congress regime but it was not published. Who stopped them at that time?” Meghwal questioned, accusing the Congress of lacking the political will to make the data available.
The BJP has positioned the caste-based census as a tool for ensuring equitable development and targeted welfare measures for backward and marginalized communities. The opposition, however, has raised concerns over its potential to stoke social division.
