Modi Government’s Decision on Caste Census is Historic and Transformational: Tarun Chugh

Chandigarh | May 1, 2025: BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh has hailed the Modi government's decision to include caste data in the upcoming Census as historic, bold, and a new milestone in India’s social justice journey.

Addressing the media, Chugh said, “While the Congress treated OBCs, SCs, and STs as electoral tools to grab power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has worked tirelessly to empower them with dignity, representation, and targeted development.”

Launching a scathing attack on the Congress, Chugh said, “Rahul Gandhi is desperate to take credit for caste census today, but he must first answer why the Congress never implemented it during its decades in power. Nehru openly opposed caste enumeration, Indira Gandhi sidelined the Mandal Commission’s recommendations, and Rajiv Gandhi never supported it either. Even during UPA’s tenure, the proposal was buried under the false promise of ‘Cabinet discussion’.”

He added, “Let us not forget, it was the Congress that suppressed the Kaka Kalelkar & Mandal Commission reports, ignored demands from within Parliament, and betrayed the very communities it now pretends to represent. Congress has always worn the mask of social justice to hide its elitist and opportunistic politics.”

Chugh emphasized that “the Modi government doesn’t indulge in caste politics; it believes in the welfare of every caste and every community. The past 11 years under Prime Minister Modi have seen inclusive governance rooted in the spirit of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas’. The decision to conduct a caste-based census is a logical and principled extension of this vision.”

He asserted that this move will bring long-overdue recognition to communities that still remain at the bottom of the development ladder. “This will not just be a census — it will be a tool for equitable policymaking, targeted welfare, and true upliftment of the underrepresented.”

Slamming the opposition further, Chugh said, “Congress today speaks of justice, but their record shows decades of deceit. The party remains trapped in dynastic arrogance and the politics of hypocrisy. For them, social justice is a slogan; for us, it is a sacred duty.”