New Delhi, April 30: In a landmark decision with far-reaching social and political implications, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has approved the inclusion of caste enumeration in the upcoming national Census. The announcement, made by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw following a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) on Wednesday, comes amid growing political momentum around caste data and its role in public policy.

Vaishnaw, addressing the media, termed the decision as both a corrective measure and a governance reform, stating that while some states had already conducted caste surveys, many executed in politically motivated and non-transparent ways, leading to confusion and mistrust in society. “To preserve the integrity of our social fabric and ensure that caste enumeration is not misused for narrow political gains, it is essential to include it transparently within the formal Census process,” he said.

The Union Minister came heavily down on the Congress and its INDIA bloc allies, accusing them of exploiting the demand for a caste census purely for political leverage. He underscored that no caste enumeration has been included in any population census since India’s Independence, despite repeated demands.

Tracing the history, Vaishnaw reminded that in 2010, then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh assured the Lok Sabha that the Cabinet would consider the inclusion of caste data in the Census. A Group of Ministers was subsequently formed, and several parties recommended proceeding with caste enumeration.

However, despite this consensus, the UPA government did not carry out a caste census. Instead, it conducted a socio-economic survey, widely known as the SECC (Socio-Economic and Caste Census), which did not yield credible or usable caste data due to its flawed design and lack of official recognition.

This decision comes at a time when opposition parties, especially Rahul Gandhi and the Congress, have made the caste census a central electoral demand.

Rahul Gandhi, in particular, has used it as a consistent political weapon, frequently attacking the BJP for allegedly remaining silent on the issue. The inclusion of caste enumeration in the official Census effectively neutralises that political advantage, taking the wind out of Rahul’s sails just as Bihar gears up for Assembly elections, say observers.

In Bihar, where caste plays a defining role in electoral politics, the RJD-Congress alliance was preparing to make caste census a major campaign issue. However, with PM Modi-led government now taking ownership of the process at the national level, the opposition’s pitch risks being blunted. Political analysts suggest that this move could lead to internal churning within the INDIA bloc.

This move is more than a bureaucratic update — it is a calculated political and social repositioning. It reshapes the caste discourse, undercuts opposition narratives, and sets the stage for future policy changes rooted in real demographic data. As the Census process begins, all eyes will be on how the government handles the rollout, release, and response to caste-based findings.

But for now, the Modi government has seized the initiative on an issue that once formed the core of its opponents’ agenda — and in doing so, may have fundamentally changed the tone of the electoral debates leading up to 2025 and beyond.

The government also pointed to a precedent that reassures social stability: when the Modi government implemented 10 per cent reservation for the economically weaker sections (EWS) in the general category, it did not lead to social unrest. This, Vaishnaw argued, demonstrated the government’s ability to introduce socially sensitive reforms without disrupting the harmony of society.

By taking this politically sensitive yet constitutionally sound step, the Modi government not only positions itself as responsive and inclusive but also sends a clear message that it is willing to act on complex issues with strategic clarity rather than electoral opportunism.

Dhaka, April 30: Chinmoy Krishna Das, a prominent Hindu leader and spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatani Jagaran Jot, has been granted bail by the High Court on Wednesday in an alleged sedition case.

The bench of Justice Atoar Rahman and Justice Ali Reza passed the order after a final hearing.

Earlier this year, the High Court issued a rule after hearing Das’s application for bail in the case, seeking an explanation as to why the applicant should not be granted bail.

Last week, the High Court set April 30 as the date for the rule hearing, following which the Court declared the rule absolute and delivered its verdict, Bangladesh’s leading Bengali daily Prothom Alo reported on Wednesday.

Arrested on November 25 from the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on charges of sedition, Das has remained in jail despite widespread demands for his release.

Chinmoy Krishna was taken into custody by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, an act which was criticised throughout the world and exposed the crimes being committed against the Hindu community of Bangladesh.

Krishna was not only associated with the Bangladesh Jatiya Hindu Mohajot (BJHM), a grand national alliance of 23 religious organisations in the country, but also with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). The news of his arrest led to several protests demanding his immediate release.

The incidents of vandalism, looting, arson, land grabbing, and threats to leave the country have been repeatedly inflicted on the Hindu community after the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus was sworn in on August 8 following the fall of Awami League regime led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Even though Yunus and his religious affairs advisor A.F.M. Khalid Hossain assured that the current establishment believes in communal harmony, the communal violence, which began immediately after Hasina left Dhaka, continued to cause widespread fear, anxiety, and uncertainty among the minorities in Bangladesh, especially Hindus.

Last month, a report of the Dhaka-based human rights organisation, Ain O Salish Kendra (AsK), highlighted that there are reports of a total of 147 incidents of vandalising houses, temples, and business establishments of the Hindu community across the country.

Some 408 households were vandalised in these incidents, including 36 cases of arson. Besides, there have been reports of 113 incidents of vandalising business establishments owned by the minority community, 32 incidents of attack on temples and mosques of the Ahmadiyya sect, and 92 incidents of vandalising idols in 92 temples.

There have been several incidents of attacks on the minorities all over the country, particularly the Hindu community, after the fall of the Awami League government with their areas, including houses, business establishments, and places of worship coming under attack and even set on fire in certain instances.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue of the safety and security of minorities in Bangladesh, including Hindus, during his meeting with Yunus on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok.

India has repeatedly raised concerns over the persecution of minorities in Bangladesh, hoping that the interim government in the country led by Yunus will take strong action against the perpetrators of violence.

New Delhi, April 30: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a fresh salvo at the Samajwadi Party (SP) on Wednesday, taking strong exception to the party’s portrayal of its supremo Akhilesh Yadav as ‘equivalent’ to Dr BR Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution.

BJP called it a grave insult to Babasaheb and accused the SP of misusing his legacy for garnering support from the Dalit community.

The controversy erupted as a party poster surfaced this morning, showing SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and Babasaheb ‘overlapping’ each other. Some reports said that the posters were also displayed at some places in Lucknow.

BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya shared the poster on his X handle and tore into the Akhilesh-led SP for distorting the face of Babasaheb and also accused it of offending the sentiments of the Dalit community.

“There can be no greater insult to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution and the symbol of the Dalit community, than to distort his face and impose Akhilesh Yadav’s face on it,” he wrote on X.

Further slamming the SP supremo, he said that Akhilesh Yadav can never equal Babasaheb’s greatness and his contribution to the deprived sections of society, ‘no matter how many times he takes birth’.

Malviya further said, “Samajwadi Party and Akhilesh first insulted the great warrior Rana Sanga and now Babasaheb. This cannot be accepted by the Hindu society at all.”

Earlier, Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal also addressed a press conference and slammed the SP for the reprehensible poster, apparently belittling and trivialising the legacy of Babasaheb.

“A poster of the Samajwadi Party shows half the face of Babasaheb, and the remaining half is of Akhilesh Yadav. This is an insult to Babasaheb Ambedkar. They are trying to get the votes of Dalits by using such tactics.”

“Babasaheb was against Parivar vaad while Akhilesh is a product of a dynasty,” he added.

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak also denounced the act and called it a ‘reflection of the party’s corrupt mentality’.