Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting an updated and comprehensive caste census, while Rahul Gandhi has challenged the Prime Minister to release the 2011 caste-based census data to the public.
Kharge stated that while the UPA government had conducted a Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) during 2011-2012, the data had not been released, despite demands from Congress and other MPs after the BJP came to power in 2014.
Kharge highlighted the importance of a reliable database for social justice and empowerment programs, particularly for OBCs, and emphasised that conducting a comprehensive caste census is the responsibility of the Union government.
Speaking at a Congress election rally in Karnataka's Kolar on April 16, Rahul Gandhi claimed that only 7% of other Backward Castes, Dalits, and tribals served as secretaries in the central government and called for the removal of the 50% cap on the reservation. Gandhi demanded that the Prime Minister make the 2011 caste-based census data public to reveal the number of OBCs, Dalits, and tribals in the country. He also called for the removal of the reservation cap.
The Siddaramaiah government conducted the caste census in Karnataka in 2015, becoming the first state to do so but the data was not made public, and the government did not table the findings in the Karnataka Assembly. Despite the Siddarmaiah government not releasing the report, he himself demanded that the report be made public in 2021 when the BJP was in power.