NEW DELHI: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday, while welcoming said that the central government agreed to include caste enumeration in the upcoming census due to pressure.
While speaking to the media in Wayanad, Kerala, she said that her brother Rahul Gandhi had raised this issue in Parliament and was mocked for it.
"The government has been pressured. My brother took up this cause last year. He has been saying it again and again; the entire BJP was against it. BJP ministers, the Prime Minister himself. When my brother spoke in Parliament, he was also ridiculed by them for speaking in favour of this," Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said.
"I feel that now they have come under pressure because everybody, the whole country, realises that this is a necessity. It is needed now, and I'm glad they have come under pressure. I am happy that they have announced something. I hope that whatever they do, they do it in a proper fashion, in the proper way, so that the correct facts come out," she added.
Earlier in the day, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling the government's change in position on the caste census a "sudden and desperate U-turn".
In a post on social media, Ramesh pointed out that the Modi government had earlier opposed a caste-based census . He cited three examples to show how the government's position has changed. In April 2024, during a television interview, Prime Minister Modi had called those demanding a caste census "urban naxals".
The Cabinet committee on political affairs, led by Prime Minister Modi, decided last week to include caste enumeration in the upcoming census. After the cabinet meeting, information and broadcasting minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told the media that this decision shows the government's commitment to the nation's overall interests.
At the same time, the Congress party passed a resolution asking for the immediate implementation of clause 5 of Article 15 of the Constitution to allow reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Dalits, and Adivasis in private educational institutions. The resolution also said that updated caste data should be used to strengthen reservation policies.
Clause 5 of Article 15 allows the government to make special provisions for the progress of socially and educationally backward classes or for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, including in private educational institutions.
While speaking to the media in Wayanad, Kerala, she said that her brother Rahul Gandhi had raised this issue in Parliament and was mocked for it.
"The government has been pressured. My brother took up this cause last year. He has been saying it again and again; the entire BJP was against it. BJP ministers, the Prime Minister himself. When my brother spoke in Parliament, he was also ridiculed by them for speaking in favour of this," Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said.
My brother took up this cause last year, consistently advocating for it despite strong opposition from the BJP. He faced ridicule in Parliament for his stance.
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) May 4, 2025
The nationwide pressure appears to have had an impact, and the government has announced plans to proceed. I welcome… pic.twitter.com/jryy0fupMj
"I feel that now they have come under pressure because everybody, the whole country, realises that this is a necessity. It is needed now, and I'm glad they have come under pressure. I am happy that they have announced something. I hope that whatever they do, they do it in a proper fashion, in the proper way, so that the correct facts come out," she added.
Earlier in the day, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling the government's change in position on the caste census a "sudden and desperate U-turn".
In a post on social media, Ramesh pointed out that the Modi government had earlier opposed a caste-based census . He cited three examples to show how the government's position has changed. In April 2024, during a television interview, Prime Minister Modi had called those demanding a caste census "urban naxals".
Evidence abounds on Mr. Modi's sudden, complete, and desperate U-turn on the caste census. Here are just three examples -
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) May 4, 2025
1. Last year, on April 28 2024, in a TV interview he branded all those demanding a caste census as "urban naxals.”
2. On July 20, 2021, the Modi Government… pic.twitter.com/rmtJxosxqa
The Cabinet committee on political affairs, led by Prime Minister Modi, decided last week to include caste enumeration in the upcoming census. After the cabinet meeting, information and broadcasting minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told the media that this decision shows the government's commitment to the nation's overall interests.
At the same time, the Congress party passed a resolution asking for the immediate implementation of clause 5 of Article 15 of the Constitution to allow reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Dalits, and Adivasis in private educational institutions. The resolution also said that updated caste data should be used to strengthen reservation policies.
Clause 5 of Article 15 allows the government to make special provisions for the progress of socially and educationally backward classes or for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, including in private educational institutions.
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