Caste census: BJP counters Congress’ ‘sarkar tumhari, system humara’ slogan | India News

Dharmendra Pradhan (File photograph)

NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday criticised the Congress for taking credit score for the inclusion of caste-based enumeration within the upcoming census and questioned why earlier Congress governments had did not implement such a transfer.
Slamming Congress’ slogan “Sarkar tumhari, system humara” (Your authorities, our system), Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stated that former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was a “staunch opponent of caste-based reservations,” which is why a caste census was not carried out beneath his management.
Addressing a press convention, Pradhan stated, “They claim the government is theirs, and the system is ours. When this issue was raised, it should have been discussed openly. The country deserves to know the truth. In 1951, whose government was it? Whose system was in place? The last caste census was conducted in 1931. The country wasn’t independent in 1941, so it wasn’t done then. But in 1951, who was in power? It was the late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.”
“This is well known. If it weren’t for Babasaheb Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi, social sensitivity wouldn’t be a national concern. If the advice of the Constituent Assembly had not been heeded, there would be no reservations today. Why? Because the first Prime Minister, Pandit Nehru, strongly opposed caste-based reservations. His opposition wasn’t limited to words—he even wrote letters to state chief ministers at the time, warning that caste-based opportunities would degrade quality,” he added.
Pradhan additional focused the Gandhi household for not appearing on the Kaka Kalelkar Report and the Mandal Commission Report.
“Who controlled the system? Who decided to suppress the Kaka Kalelkar Committee report for years? Even then, the so-called ‘First Family,’ which now speaks so arrogantly, held the reins of power. The command lay with their grandmother, the then Prime Minister, the late Indira Gandhi,” he stated.
“The Janata Party government introduced the Mandal Commission in 1977 to realign the course of social justice. At that time, the BJP, in its earlier form as Jan Sangh, was part of the Janata Party. Leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani were part of that government. But who kept the Mandal Commission report locked away for a decade? Who was in power? It was the Congress Party. This is sheer hypocrisy and arrogance,” he added.
His remarks come after the Congress credited the Modi authorities’s determination to conduct a caste-based census to Rahul Gandhi’s persistent advocacy, calling it a victory for his imaginative and prescient.
“Rahul Gandhi ji said, ‘Start counting.’ Now the Modi government is making arrangements for the count,” Congress chief Jairam Ramesh wrote on X (previously Twitter). “When our leader Shri Rahul Gandhi ji called the caste census the ‘X-ray of society,’ the ruling party mocked him, ignored him, and delayed action.”
“He has long demanded this—raising the issue repeatedly in Parliament, at public gatherings, and during his travels. But how long can the voice of millions demanding their rights be ignored? Now that the Modi government has agreed to conduct a caste census, we say—better late than never! This is a significant step toward ensuring social justice. It is a victory for millions of Indians who have long fought for equality, fairness, and representation,” Ramesh added.
A caste census is systematic recording of people’ caste identities throughout a nationwide census. In India, the place caste deeply influences social, financial, and political life, such information can present important insights into the distribution and socio-economic standing of varied caste teams. This info is important for shaping insurance policies associated to affirmative motion and social justice.
Caste enumeration was a routine function of census workouts throughout British rule, from 1881 to 1931. However, with the primary census of unbiased India in 1951, the follow was discontinued—aside from the enumeration of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.