Centre's caste census decision gets backing from UP and Uttarakhand CMs

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday welcomed the Union Cabinet’s decision to include caste enumeration in the upcoming national census, calling it a major step toward achieving social justice and data-driven governance.

In a post on X, Adityanath said, "The decision of CCPA under the leadership of Honorable Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji to include caste census in the upcoming census in the overall interest of 140 crore countrymen is unprecedented and welcome."

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="hi" dir="ltr">140 करोड़ देशवासियों के समग्र हित में आदरणीय प्रधानमंत्री श्री <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@narendramodi</a> जी के नेतृत्व में CCPA द्वारा जाति जनगणना को आगामी जनगणना में शामिल किए जाने का निर्णय अभूतपूर्व एवं स्वागत योग्य है।<br><br>वंचित, पिछड़े और उपेक्षित वर्गों को सही पहचान और सरकारी योजनाओं में उनकी उचित…</p>&mdash; Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) <a href="https://twitter.com/myogiadityanath/status/1917566105012560341?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

He described the move as a significant stride towards recognizing and empowering marginalized and backward communities. "Heartfelt gratitude to the respected Prime Minister, under whose leadership the BJP government has taken this historic decision to transform social justice and data-based good governance into reality," he added.

Echoing his sentiments, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also praised the decision, hailing it as a transformative step to ensure equity and dignity for all.

“Congress opposed caste census for decades and always tried to shine its politics on this issue. The biggest example of this is that a caste census was never conducted to date after independence. Congress used them only as a vote bank by promoting division among castes," Dhami said in a post on X.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="hi" dir="ltr">कांग्रेस ने दशकों तक जातिगत जनगणना का विरोध किया और इस मुद्दे पर हमेशा अपनी राजनीति चमकाने का प्रयास किया। इसका सबसे बड़ा उदाहरण यह है कि स्वतंत्रता के बाद आज तक जातिगत जनगणना कभी नहीं करवाई गई। कांग्रेस ने जातियों के बीच विभाजन को बढ़ावा देकर उन्हें सिर्फ वोटबैंक के रूप में…</p>&mdash; Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) <a href="https://twitter.com/pushkardhami/status/1917565416299278456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“Today, under the leadership of the respected Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji, the Central Government has taken a historic decision, in which caste census will be included in the census process. This decision is not only an important step towards bringing the backward classes of the society into the mainstream but it is also a revolutionary step towards ensuring social equality, respect and justice,” he added.

The decision was announced following a Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) meeting. Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed that caste data would now be officially collected as part of the census process.

Vaishnaw took aim at previous Congress-led governments, stating, “Caste was not included in all the census operations conducted since independence. In 2010, the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singhji had assured the Lok Sabha that the matter of caste census would be considered in the cabinet.

A group of ministers was formed to consider this subject. Most political parties recommended a caste census. Despite this, the Congress government decided to conduct only a survey of caste instead of a census. That survey is known as SECC.”

The announcement marks a policy shift that could have broad implications for social welfare programs, electoral dynamics, and the allocation of government resources.