Credit War Erupts in Raj over Caste Census

A day after the Union cabinet approved the move to include caste enumeration in the national Census, both the BJP and Congress have claimed credit, even as experts view it as a potential turning point in India's socio-political landscape.

- HT Correspondent

JAIPUR:

While Congress veteran Ashok Gehlot credited the move to Rahul Gandhi's sustained pressure and framed it as a step toward long-overdue social justice, BJP leader and Rajasthan state president Madan Rathore welcomed the decision and accused the Congress of politicising the issue for electoral gain.

Amid the political sparring, experts including political analyst Narayan Bareth and former additional advocate general Raghav said that the caste census could deepen caste consciousness initially, but ultimately pave the way for a class-based political realignment that challenges entrenched hierarchies and redefines representation in governance.

Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot said the government was compelled to agree to a caste census under pressure from Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.

"They (BJP and RSS) used to allege that Congress is trying to divide the society when we raised the demand for a caste census. But now they caved in under pressure," he told reporters.