Announce 'clear timeline' for every stage of caste survey: CWC to Centre

The Congress on Friday (May 2) asked the government to announce a "clear timeline" for every stage of the caste survey and reiterated its demand for removing the "arbitrary ceiling" of 50 per cent on reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs.

The Opposition party made the assertion in a resolution passed by the Congress Working Committee (CWC), which was chaired by party president Mallikarjun Kharge and attended by former chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, and general secretaries Jairam Ramesh, KC Venugopal and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, among others.

No clear picture yet

“After 11 years of continued opposition and stubborn refusal, the Modi government has finally conceded to the demand of the Congress to collect population data caste wise as part of the next census. For 11 years, the prime minister attacked the Congress leadership for raising this demand,” the CWC said in the resolution.

Also read: Robbed of Caste Census pitch, Congress, allies must now reinvent campaign

No details, however, have been provided of what the government intends to do and no financial allocations have been made, it said.

The resolution recalled that the Congress president had written to the prime minister on April 16, 2023, demanding an up-to-date and comprehensive caste survey.

He has also been demanding removal of the arbitrary 50 per cent ceiling on reservations for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs), according to the resolution.

Persistent campaign

Noting that Rahul Gandhi was the "strongest and most consistent" voice demanding a nationwide caste survey, the party said he had raised the urgent need to gather data on caste so that government policies could truly reflect the lived realities of the marginalised during the 2022 Nav Sankalp Shivir in Udaipur.

"This demand was reiterated at the Congress plenary in Raipur in 2023, and was a central feature of both the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha manifestoes of the Congress. In Parliament, in speeches across the country, and during the two Bharat Jodo Yatras, and most recently at a press conference, Rahul Gandhi has asserted that caste census was essential for deepening social justice," the party said.

He had stated that policies of reservation, welfare and inclusion could not be based on outdated assumptions or arbitrary caps but must be grounded in facts, it pointed out.

Quota in private sector

The Congress also demanded urgent implementation of Article 15(5) of the Constitution, which enables the provision of reservation for OBCs, Dalits, and Adivasis in private educational institutions.

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"This demand was clearly articulated in the Congress manifesto and reaffirmed by Rahul Gandhi as a necessary and overdue step toward educational justice," according to the resolution.

In an era when private institutions play an increasingly dominant role in higher education, the exclusion of marginalised communities from these spaces only worsens inequality, the party said.

"Article 15(5) is not just a constitutional provision, it is a social justice imperative. The Congress firmly believes that quality education must be made accessible to OBCs, EBCs (Extremely Backward Classes), Dalits and Adivasis in both public and private institutions alike," the CWC said in the resolution.

Cites Telangana model

The CWC also said it believed that the model followed by Telangana provided an effective and inclusive framework the government of India must emulate.

In Telangana, the design of the caste survey was developed through a consultative and transparent process, with the active involvement of civil society, social scientists and community leaders, it pointed out.

"Rather than being a closed bureaucratic exercise, it was open to public inputs and scrutiny," the party added.

Extends full support

The CWC strongly urged the Centre to adopt a similar approach for the national caste survey.

Also read: As Centre prepares to embark on national caste census, here's how Telangana did it

"We offer our full support in helping the government shape a credible, scientific and participatory model. We are ready to collaborate on designing a framework that reflects the values of consultation, accountability and inclusiveness," the CWC said in the resolution.

The party stressed that the process must be transparent and inclusive at every step. "The data collected should serve as the basis for a wide-ranging review of public policy, especially in the areas of reservations, welfare schemes, educational access and employment opportunities," it said.

The CWC asserted that a caste survey, properly designed and implemented, would work to the benefit of all sections of society.

(With agency inputs)