Govt admits differences in Cabinet over caste based census
merisarkar news service
New Delhi, May 05, 2010
Differences in Cabinet on it: Moily
Government on Wednesday admitted that there were differing views on the issue in the Cabinet and indicated that the caste based census would not be held in near future.
"There are differing views (in the Cabinet) but that does not mean divisions," Law Minister M Veerappa Moily said in response to a question.
Law Minister, who is also belongs from an OBC caste, said: "Caste-based census would be 'appropriate' and 'more authentic' because no caste-based data is available with regard to the OBCs since 1931.
When pointed out that Home Minister P. Chidambaram had expressed opposition to caste-based census at the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Moily said he was not opposing but only representing the views of the Home Ministry.
Moily's Cabinet colleague Farooq Abdullah said the discussions to explore views on caste-based census were for the next census and not the exercise currently underway.
"There is no question of division... The census has already started. So, it is not possible to do it in this census... I don't think it is possible this time to introduce this," Minister for New and Renewable Energy Faruq Abdullah told reporters.
"If it had to be done for this census, this discussion should have been held earlier," said Abdullah who had participated in the discussions on the issue in the Cabinet meeting,” he said.
