Census to identify gaps, not deepen caste lines: Bhupender Yadav

Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, in a interview with ET, defends the inclusion of caste in the Census and hits out at the Opposition for "hypocrisy and delay" on the issue.

On Opposition claiming credit for caste census
How can they claim credit for something they never did? Rahul Gandhi behaves as if everything revolves around him. When he could tear up Cabinet decisions, why didn't he ensure the caste data from the 2010 Census was released? Even P Chidambaram said Census wasn't the ideal tool to collect caste data. Congress never supported it - Nehru opposed it. It was only thanks to Baba Saheb Ambedkar and the Constitution makers that SCs and STs were included.


On the timing of the announcement
The Census was delayed due to Covid. Now that conditions are right, we've announced it. The Modi government does what it says. Linking it to elections is misleading - we won multiple state and national polls without any such promise. In India, elections never end, so timing arguments are always politicised.

On Census deepening caste fault lines
Census is about understanding society - not dividing it. Governance and policy depend on data. How can you plan without knowing your people? We won't let anyone misuse it to divide the country.

On reconciling caste enumeration with BJP's 'Kamandal' image
We are proud of our Sanatani identity. The Opposition's labels don't stick - people reject them through votes. BJP has always supported social justice - we backed VP Singh's OBC quota, gave OBC commission constitutional status, ensured reservations in medical seats. Census captures more than caste - it includes gender, health, geography, and education. Women's reservation too hinges on Census and delimitation.

On Hindutva and caste-based politics
Hindutva means unity, not casteism. It's the media that reduces everything to caste share. What matters are disparities - economic, regional, or gender-based. BJP stands for a just and inclusive society.

On return of Mandal-style politics
Mandal politics started losing relevance under PM Modi. Our governance is centred on social justice - 10% EWS quota, OBC reservations, women's welfare, youth, farmers, the poor. We don't see people by caste but by whether they're being left out of development.

On caste data among Muslims
Those who long denied caste among Muslims are rattled now. For years, Muslims were treated as one vote bank, ignoring internal disparities. Pasmanda Muslims and women suffered. Transparent data will help address these gaps. Census design will reflect that - with governance, not vote-bank politics, in mind.