'Against reservation since birth': Kharge rebuts BJP, RSS over caste census row

NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday welcomed the Centre’s decision to include caste enumeration in the national census, but also hit out at the Bharatiya Janata party and RSS, accusing them of being historically opposed to reservation.
“They are Jansangh, RSS, but by birth they are opposing this reservation. When such people are against reservation, they are saying Congress [is] against this. If we are against, I shouldn’t have written a letter two years ago,” Kharge said during a press conference in Bengaluru.
Kharge was responding to BJP’s allegation that the Congress is using the caste census issue for political gains. He said the BJP was only trying to confuse people. “Again they create confusion in people’s mind. That is all bogus. For political purpose they always do such things. But whatever action they have taken should be fulfilled,” he said.
The Congress chief added that the party had long demanded a caste census and had written to the Prime Minister in 2023, urging that it be included in the pending national census. The letter had read: “We demand that it be done immediately and that a comprehensive caste census be made its integral part.”
When asked if the Centre's move was linked to upcoming elections in Bihar, Kharge declined to speculate. “I don’t want to go into this politics. Because ultimately the country is important, people are important. Since birth of RSS they are against caste census. So they have no rights to talk about the reservation,” he said, adding that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had led the push for a caste census.
The decision to include caste data in the national census was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, the government has yet to announce a date.
Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the move was necessary as earlier surveys by states like Bihar, Telangana and Karnataka lacked consistency. “These surveys have varied in transparency and intent, with some conducted purely from a political angle, creating doubts in society,” he said. “To ensure that our social fabric does not come under political pressure, it has been decided that caste enumeration should be included in the main census.”