New Delhi, 25 August (H.S.): Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday accused the Central government of deliberately putting the caste census on the back burner, alleging that the manner in which the exercise is being conducted amounts to nothing more than a “whitewash”. He said the Congress would not accept the current process and demanded that the models adopted in Bihar and Telangana be implemented at the national level.

Addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi, Ramesh said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had written a joint 21-page letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 20 regarding the caste census.

He said this was the third letter the Congress had sent to the Prime Minister on the issue. According to Ramesh, Kharge had earlier written to Modi on April 16, 2023, and May 5, 2025, but the party had not received a response to either letter so far.

Ramesh said the Congress had consistently demanded consultations with all political parties and state governments before conducting the caste census. He stressed that the exercise should be carried out in a manner that ensures accurate data and advances the cause of social justice.

The Congress leader alleged that the Modi government was deliberately maintaining silence on the issue and was not genuinely interested in conducting a comprehensive caste census.

He further demanded that the existing process be scrapped and replaced with a more systematic model based on the caste surveys conducted in Bihar and Telangana. According to him, adopting such an approach at the national level would help ensure more reliable caste-related data for policymaking.

Ramesh reiterated that the Congress would continue to press for a transparent and comprehensive caste census, arguing that credible data on the country's social composition is essential for formulating effective policies aimed at social justice and equitable development.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar