By Rahil Nora Chopra
The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, is advocating for a nationwide caste census to address the exclusion of approximately 90 per cent of the population from the system. He argues that this census is essential for effective policymaking, as it will help identify the socio-economic conditions of various communities, including Dalits, OBCs, and tribals. He has been putting pressure on the Centre to conduct a nationwide caste survey. Now, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, a key BJP ally, has also shown complete support for the caste census, saying it has to be done to honour the sentiment of people. BJP allies AjitPawar, Chirag Paswan and Anupriya Patel have also pitched for a nationwide caste census. The issue of caste census was first raised by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who got it done in Bihar. The caste census became one of the prominent issues during the Lok Sabha elections.
