New Delhi: The Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Friday (May 2) passed a resolution in which it said that “after 11 years of stubborn refusal”, the Modi government “conceded” to the demand for a caste census.The party said that the caste census announced by the Union government earlier this week should not be delayed, and demanded that the government must immediately announce a clear timeline for its implementation.“This exercise must not be delayed. All political parties must be taken into full confidence. Parliament must immediately have a debate on this issue. The government must immediately allocate the necessary funds and announce a clear timeline for every stage of the census, from the preparation of the questionnaire and methodology to the actual enumeration, classification and eventual publication of the data,” the CWC resolution said.The Union government on Wednesday (April 30) announced that a caste census will be conducted along with the decadal census.The announcement marked a sharp reversal from the BJP’s stance in the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign, where it had described the caste census as a move to divide society, as opposition parties made it a core poll plank.However, the government in its announcement did not provide any timeline for when the decadal census or the corresponding caste census will be conducted.The CWC, which held an urgent meeting on Friday on the caste census and the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 civilians lost their lives, said in its resolution that the process of conducting the caste census must be “transparent and inclusive at every step”.“The process must be transparent and inclusive at every step. The data collected should serve as the basis for a wide-ranging review of public policy, especially in the areas of reservations, welfare schemes, educational access and employment opportunities,” it said.“The CWC believes that a caste census, properly designed and implemented, will work to the benefit of all sections of society.”In its resolution, the Congress also demanded that the 50% ceiling on reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs be removed and called for the urgent implementation of Article 15(5) of the constitution, which enables the provision of reservations in private educational institutions.“In an era when private institutions play an increasingly dominant role in higher education, the exclusion of marginalised communities from these spaces only worsens inequality. Article 15(5) is not just a constitutional provision, it is a social justice imperative. The Congress firmly believes that quality education must be made accessible to OBCs, EBCs, Dalits and Adivasis in both public and private institutions alike,” the resolution said.In his remarks to the CWC, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge questioned how the government, which had opposed the caste census, could suddenly have a change of heart.“When I wrote a letter to the prime minister on April 16, 2023 and demanded this, the government was totally against it. Then how did the change of heart happen suddenly? The government opposed our demand on every platform as divisive and ‘urban Naxal’. From Modi ji to RSS [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh] leaders, everyone criticised it during the elections, and slogans like ‘batenge toh katenge’ were given,” he said.Kharge said that the party is happy that Prime Minister Narendra Modi understood the demand “even though it was late”.