Opposition pushes for caste census in Madhya Pradesh before elections

The Samajwadi Party echoed similar sentiments and said it has started holding meetings and rallies across districts over the demand.

Updated on: Jan 21, 2023, 07:36:09 IST

By Shruti Tomar, Bhopal

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The Congress and Samajwadi Party in Madhya Pradesh on Friday demanded a caste-based census ahead of the assembly elections later this year

Madhya Pradesh Congress President Kamal Nath. (ANI)

Talking to reporters, state Congress Committee state president Kamal Nath said: “Caste census is very necessary for balance, why should it not be done? After all, what are these people (BJP-led state and central government) afraid of and what are they trying to hide? The caste census should be done immediately.”

Also Read | Pleas against caste census in Bihar merely for publicity: Supreme Court

He added: “The state has many variations in caste, from Bundelkhand to Mahakaushal to Gwalior Chambal. There is an ethnic and caste diversity here. This will come out in the open in the census. The other backward classes (OBCs) will get a justified place in reservations through this survey.”

The Samajwadi Party echoed similar sentiments and said it has started holding meetings and rallies across districts over the demand.

“The BJP is afraid of caste census because it’s a party of upper-caste people. The caste census will reveal how much injustice is being done to the OBCs. They are not getting benefits and reservations. In Madhya Pradesh, the population of OBC is more than 50% but they are not getting even 27% of the total quota,” state party chief Ramayan Singh Patel said.

Also Read | Bihar’s caste census: Opposition’s trump card or a damp squib

“We have submitted a memorandum to the governor, demanding the same,” he added.

The BJP called the demand a “political stunt”. “The state government has already informed the high court and Supreme Court about the OBC population, so they (opposition) cannot say that reservation is getting delayed due to the census,” BJP OBC wing leader Narayan Singh Kushwaha said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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