NEW DELHI: Even as Congress claims PM Narendra Modi buckled under its pressure to reverse his earlier decision on enumerating caste, the party Sunday added a twist by releasing a 2021 govt answer in Parliament in which it had stated that it will not conduct a caste census in 2021 as a policy decision, and also quoting a Centre’s affidavit beseeching Supreme Court not to order a caste census against the govt policy. The opposition party asked the PM if he will accept that he has taken a U-turn on the issue.
To amplify its attacks on BJP, Congress has directed its state units to hold statewide rallies at the assembly level to showcase the role of Congress and Rahul Gandhi in making caste census a reality, with the directive that they should highlight that BJP has been against the idea. The party also asked its netas to intensify the demand for removal of 50% barrier on reservations and for implementation of quotas in private educational institutions.
Home ministry told Lok Sabha on July 20, 2021, that govt had taken a policy decision not to enumerate caste in the census. Also, as per Congress, PM Modi government told SC on Sept 21, 2021: “The exclusion of information regarding any other caste [outside of SCs and STs] from the purview of census [2021] is a conscious policy decision taken by the central govt.”
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Congress spokesman Jairam Ramesh said, “Evidence abounds on Modi’s sudden, complete, and desperate U-turn on the caste census… Will he explain to the people and Parliament the reasons for the change in govt’s policy?”
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