The Centre is mulling over adding a caste column to the census, which has been delayed since the Covid-19 outbreak. The country has conducted censuses every ten years, beginning from 1881 onwards.

Parties across the political spectrum have been demanding a caste census.

In August, while citing data from India Today's Mood of the Nation (MOTN) survey, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said, "Modiji, if you are thinking of stopping the caste census, you are dreaming — no power can stop it now. India's order has come — soon 90 percent of Indians will support and demand a caste census. Implement the order now, or you will see the next Prime Minister doing it."

Not just the opposition, some allies of the BJP, like MP Chirag Paswan's LJP and Nitish Kumar's JD(U) in Bihar, have also been advocating for a nationwide caste census.

Calls for a national caste census emerged after Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United), the ruling party in Bihar, released the results of a statewide caste survey. The survey, released in October last year, revealed that over 80 percent of the state's population belongs to extremely backward classes.

Earlier, after an uproar over the lateral entry hiring in government jobs broke out, Paswan clarified that his party has always been in favour of the caste census.

The implementation of the Women's Reservation Act, passed by Parliament last year, is also tied to the completion of the ten-year census. The act reserving one-third of the seats for women candidates in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies is likely to come into effect after an exercise of delimitation will begin after the figures of the census come. 

Source: India Today