(India's next Census exercise, which will include caste data for the first time since Independence, will be conducted in two phases, starting 1 March 2027, with some regions like Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and Uttarakhand beginning earlier in October 2026. This piece has been republished in light of the recent announcement. It was first published on 5 May 2025.)
Opposition to caste enumeration has not been confined to the Hindu Right. Since the 1930s, various segments of the upper castes — including leaders from the Congress, Left, Muslim League, liberal academics, and caste associations — have opposed it. Choicest abuses have been hurled at the idea: the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) thought it would be “highly detrimental to India’s social fabric”, Pratap Bhanu Mehta once called it a “monumental travesty”, and MN Srinivas branded it a strategy to “divide and rule”.
The Bahujan political leadership — from Kanshi Ram, Sharad Yadav, and Lalu Prasad Yadav to Mayawati and Tejashwi Yadav — were persistent, however. So much so that ignoring such a central demand has become politically untenable for any major national party.
Rahul Gandhi's endorsement of the caste census was a pivotal moment. It rearticulated a long-standing Bahujan and OBC-socialist demand into an electable slogan that even compelled a section of upper-caste liberals to take cognisance, albeit cautiously.