Unwarranted delay in conducting Census hurting many social policies: Congress
New Delhi, Feb 6 (PTI) The Congress on Thursday hit out at the Modi government for not getting the decadal Census done, saying this "unwarranted delay" is hurting many social policies and programmes.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared a media report on X which said that with the decadal Census exercise pending since 2021 and unlikely to be conducted this year, at least two other key reports on births and deaths in the country have not been released by the Union Home Ministry for the past five years.
"This unwarranted delay in conducting the decadal Census, due in 2021 but still not conducted, is hurting many social policies and programmes - including reservations for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, and food security entitlements," Ramesh said on X.
The Congress on Saturday had said it is "highly disappointing" that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget speech made no mention of releasing funds for the decadal population census.
The party had pointed out that the government's failure to conduct the census on time has serious consequences on the state's administrative capabilities.
Ramesh had said this also means that the government will most certainly continue to avoid a socio-economic caste census.
"It is highly disappointing that the Finance Minister's Budget Speech made no mention of releasing funds for the decadal Population Census that was supposed to have taken place in 2021, but has still not been conducted," Ramesh had said in a post on X.
This is the first time since Independence that the government has failed to conduct a Census on time, he had said.
"The consequences on the state's administrative capabilities are serious one example being the 10-12 crore individuals who have been excluded from the ambit of the National Food Security Act/Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana.
"It also means that the Government will most certainly continue to avoid a Socio-Economic Caste Census," Ramesh had said.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
