Education Minister supports Caste Census, praises Modi Government's Inclusive Agenda

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday condemned the Centre's decision to conduct a nationwide caste census, portraying it as a historic step towards empowering backward classes. In a statement during an interaction with the media, Pradhan emphasized the Modi government's resolve to extend justice and representation to backward classes and condemned the Congress for their "flip-flop" on reservations on a caste basis.

This step is a testament to the NDA government's complete commitment under Prime Minister Narendra Modi to safeguard India's marginalized and deprived sections," Pradhan said. He further said that the caste census would provide significant figures to frame welfare policies so that the benefits reach the targeted sections. "Yeh darshata hai Bharat ke vanchit vargon ko apna adhikar dene ke liye pradhanmantri Narendra Modi ji ke netritv wali sarkar kitni pratibaddh hai," he said.

Pradhan also gazed into the past, recalling earlier caste surveys and the earlier controversy over reservations and affirmative action in India. He faulted earlier governments, especially the Congress, for not wanting to introduce radical reforms to correct social imbalances.

The politically sensitive proposal of caste census has seen the divided emotions cut across party lines. While the BJP has come to accept the proposal as part of a holistic social justice plan, opposition parties have raised questions on timing and mechanism of implementation.

Political analysts are of the opinion that the move could redefine the welfare distribution and election politics template, especially in states with immense OBC numbers.

Though the government has set its wheels rolling in terms of holding the exercise, Pradhan's word lingering in voice also has a potential political message: the Centre wants to present itself as a progressive force in conferring social equality as much as implementation is involved and leaving critique to that of political opposition.

Talk concerning the caste census is going to become much more vocal, unfolding far-reaching significance within India's socio-political landscape.