Modi Govt’s Caste Census Move Shakes Up Politics | Bihar, 2024 & Ambedkar's Dream

In a political curveball that stunned the nation, the Modi government has announced that a Caste Census will be conducted alongside the upcoming National Census — a move with far-reaching implications for governance and elections, especially in caste-sensitive states like Bihar. This marks India’s first official caste count since 1931, when the British last conducted such a survey. A socio-economic caste survey in 2011 was never released in full, leaving policies and reservations to rely on 90-year-old data. Critics have long argued that India has been formulating social justice policies “blindly,” with outdated numbers. The timing is crucial. With Bihar elections in October, the caste census is expected to shake up political alignments. The Congress and Rahul Gandhi have seized the moment, claiming credit and asserting “jitni abadi, utna haq.” The BJP, in turn, has accused the Congress of political doublespeak. While leaders like Chirag Paswan and Nitish Kumar have welcomed the move, the big question remains — Will this lead India closer to Ambedkar’s dream of social equity or deepen caste divisions further?