'Who has stopped Rahul Gandhi ...': Prashant Kishor's sharp remarks on caste census debate

Prashant Kishor (File)

Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor on Thursday reacted to the Centre's decision to include caste as part of the next national census, saying that the topic is more about political upmanship than social reform.

"This matter is more about political upmanship for political parties rather than social reform. BJP is already in power in Bihar, and a caste census was held in the state two years ago. BJP should tell what the Bihar government did with the findings of the caste survey," Kishor told news agency ANI.

The political strategist also took a dig at Congress, whose leaders are claiming credit for the government's decision.

Questioning the grand old party, Kishor asked why the Congress failed to implement welfare schemes based on the caste surveys conducted in states under its rule.

"Congress is in power in Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh, so who has stopped Rahul Gandhi from making schemes based on data available? He has recently awakened to the fact that the situation can be improved with a caste census. You are not getting caste census done to help those communities but to spread communal disharmony for political gains," he said.

Kishor added that conducting a caste census by itself will not improve the condition of the backward classes. "Survey should be done. Any effort that informs the government about the situation of the people in the society is good. But the problem is - this exercise is not being carried out to uplift any section of the society. It is being done to exploit caste faultlines for the benefit of political parties."

The Centre on Wednesday announced that caste enumeration will be part of the next population census, with the inclusion of caste details for the first time since independence.

Announcing the decision taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the census comes under the purview of the Centre, but some states have done caste enumeration in the name of surveys "non-transparently" which has created doubts in the society.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi welcomed the government's "sudden" decision to include caste enumeration in the forthcoming census after "11 years of opposing it" but asserted that the Centre should give a timeline for its implementation.

He also credited the sustained campaign by the Congress for the Centre's move. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said it is clear that the pressure the Congress put on the government for the caste census has worked.

(With inputs from agencies)