Modi government deliberately obstructing caste Census to prevent true representation of OBCs, EBCs: Congress leader

Congress leader Manikrao Thakre. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Goa, Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Manikrao Thakare on Saturday (September 5, 2026) claimed that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre is deliberately obstructing the caste Census from going ahead to prevent “true representation” of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Extremely Backward Classes (EBC). He added that the NDA is attempting to derail the actual objectives of the Census.“The NDA government and its leader [Prime Minister] Narendra Modi — who have been sitting on the issue of a nationwide caste Census — have hatched a conspiracy to deny the OBC and EBC sections their due share of representation. The Congress party, along with our leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, have exposed this in Parliament,” Mr. Thakare, senior AICC leader, said while addressing a press conference at Bihar Congress headquarters in Patna.He further said that the Union government led by Mr. Modi has consistently opposed the caste Census, adding that when the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ (Grand Alliance) government was in power in Bihar, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi pressured the State government to ensure representation for backward classes based on their population numbers by pushing for a caste survey, which subsequently commenced in the State.He pointed out that the Congress government in Telangana conducted a caste survey effectively — a model that the Union government could use as a precedent.Pushed for quota riseMr. Thakare asserted that the then Grand Alliance government in Bihar made efforts to raise the reservation limit to 65%, but the matter ended up in court due to the alleged apathy of the Union Government.He explained that the BJP-led government could have included this in the Ninth Schedule. The Ninth Schedule includes a list of Central and State laws that cannot be challenged in courts.“As soon as the NDA government was formed in Bihar, the Bharatiya Janata Party and [then CM] Nitish Kumar put the recommendation of the caste survey on the back burner, denying the backward classes the legitimate rights for which our leader, Rahul Gandhi, had fought,” Mr. Thakare said.The Congress leader claimed that several discrepancies were found in the Census questionnaire, which cast doubt on the government’s intentions. He further explained that the caste Census will provide accurate data on the social, economic, and educational status of each caste, enabling the government to formulate effective and targeted development schemes for the needy.For better policiesThe AICC leader added that it will facilitate the creation of appropriate policies and the proper allocation of budgets for the upliftment of backward and marginalised sections, along with allowing the identification of the most marginalised and economically weaker sections of society, enabling their integration into the mainstream.“We are determined to ensure a caste Census is conducted, and we will also break the 50% cap on reservations,” Mr. Thakare said.Making a further push, he mentioned that whether it concerns OBCs, Dalits, or Adivasis, only a caste Census can reveal the extent of their participation in the country. He questioned whether the Union Government was attempting to delay or complicate the caste Census by unnecessarily stirring up controversy.He demanded the formulation of a new questionnaire — developed in consultation with political parties and experts — that adopts the caste survey models used in Bihar and Telangana. Published - September 05, 2026 09:06 pm IST