India will enumerate caste during the next official census in 2027. Considering this is a long-standing demand, how invested do you think the government is in such a census?
The caste census remains an important concern, since delays in conducting it would risk sidelining the caste question in the political imagination. We’ve seen parties raise the issue when they want to woo caste groups for political milage, but the caste census, in actual terms, never materialises. It requires a strong political will and social commitment, particularly from the Union Cabinet, given that the Home Ministry is responsible for conducting the census and caste census. Delays will only hinder society’s ability to understand caste-based marginalisation. The sooner it is done, the better.