Caste census decision long-awaited step toward social justice: OBC rights body chief

New Delhi: National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) chairperson Hansraj Gangaram Ahir on Saturday extolled the Narendra Modi government's decision to include caste enumeration in the next Census as a "long-awaited step" toward fulfilling people's aspiration for social justice.

It marks a significant milestone for the OBC, he said.

In a major policy shift, the government has announced that the next decadal census will include caste enumeration for the first time since Independence.

Cutting across party lines, several leaders welcomed the move and called for early steps to conduct the exercise that is expected to reshape the country's socio-economic and political landscape.

Ahir described the move as a "well-thought-out" step that aligns with people's aspirations. "This is what the people wanted, and the government has heard them." The rights body chief told reporters that the decision was a part of a broader "long-term plan for social justice" as he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and expressed confidence that the Centre would conduct the complex exercise with integrity.

The NCBC chairperson took potshots at the previous government's attempt to collect caste data' in the 2011 Socio-Economic and Caste Census, claiming the exercise was marred by procedural failures.

The then Congress-led UPA government failed to compile a comprehensive list of castes and used a flawed proforma which rendered the exercise ineffective, Ahir claimed.

With the government's decision seen by many as a political manoeuvring, several parties sought to claim bragging rights while terming the announcement amid heightened cross-border tensions triggered by the April 22 Pahalgam massacre a "diversionary tactic" and headlines management.

The BJP countered the allegations, saying it has exposed the difference between the Centre's "true intentions" and the "empty sloganeering" of the opposition parties.