Caste census will be in public interest, says Ashok Gehlot

Senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday (July 17, 2025) said the caste census would address the issue of widening gap between the rich and the poor and would help the government take decisions in the public interest. A socio-economic survey should also be carried out to guide the future policymaking, he said.

Mr. Gehlot, who attended a meeting of the AICC OBC Advisory Council in Bengaluru on Wednesday, said here that conducing the national caste census had become Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s mission. “Mr. Gandhi is not against the general castes… Poverty is prevalent among all communities. Our focus needs to be on social concerns to bring about equality,” he said.

While reiterating the Congress’s demand for caste census, Mr. Gehlot said at a press conference, “The people belonging to SC, ST and OBC should be brought to the mainstream, which will strengthen the country. In fact, this is a revolutionary thinking of Mr. Gandhi… Like a family member, each section of the society needs to help out the other,” he said.

The former CM said the members of the OBC communities, “misled by Bharatiya Janata Party in the name of religion”, would realise at a later stage the significance of the movement for caste census. “Even after the NDA government’s decision, people have an apprehension that an excuse could be made after the Bihar [Assembly] election. So, we want the decision on caste census to be implemented,” Mr. Gehlot said.