Rahul Gandhi backs caste census decision, seeks timeline, pushes for end to 50% reservation cap

Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday welcomed the Union Cabinet’s decision to conduct a caste census along with the next population census. Calling the move “a welcome step though taken under pressure,” he demanded a specific timeline for its completion. “We welcome the decision, but we need to know how much time it will take to conclude the census,” he said.

Gandhi said the caste census had long been part of the Congress party’s vision. “It was our vision, we are glad they have adopted it,” he stated. Emphasizing that the party had repeatedly raised the issue in Parliament, he added, “We had said in the Parliament that we will make caste census happen.” He further credited sustained political pressure for the government’s announcement, saying, “We have shown we can pressure the government.”

Outlining a broader social justice roadmap, Gandhi said the party’s next priority is the removal of the 50% cap on reservations. “The 50 per cent cap on reservations is becoming an impediment to the progress of our country and to the progress of Backward Castes, Dalits and Adivasis and we want this barrier to be eliminated,” he said. He asserted that the party would continue pressuring the government to “see that the 50 per cent cap is destroyed.”

In addition to the caste census and the demand to scrap the reservation cap, Gandhi also pushed for immediate implementation of Article 15(5) of the Constitution. “This is already a law. We want the government to begin implementing it,” he said. Article 15(5) enables the state to provide for reservation in admissions to private educational institutions for socially and educationally backward classes, Scheduled Castes, and Scheduled Tribes.

He cited Telangana as a model for conducting such exercises, comparing it with Bihar’s effort. “There are two examples—Bihar’s and Telangana’s—and there is a vast difference between the two,” Gandhi said. Describing the caste census as “the first step,” he added, “Not just reservations, but we are also asking central questions—be it OBCs, Dalits, Adivasis, what is their participation in this country?” He reiterated the party’s intent to assess the participation of the 90% population in national systems and structures.