UP BJP Minority wing to promote caste census awareness among muslims
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Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh BJP Minority Morcha announced on Wednesday that it will launch a state-wide campaign to ensure the accurate dissemination of information about the upcoming caste-based census, with a focus on the Muslim community.
The party urged Muslims to provide correct caste details while filling out census forms and cautioned against alleged attempts by clerics and opposition leaders to encourage people to declare their religion instead of caste.
“We will soon launch a state-wide campaign to ensure accurate dissemination of information regarding the upcoming caste-based census, especially within the Muslim community," UP BJP Minority Morcha president Kunwar Basit Ali Ali said, calling the move "historic and revolutionary".
“Until now, Muslims have been listed merely as a religious group, which has hidden the deep social and economic diversity within the community. This caste census will reveal the real status of various Muslim castes and help in effective policy-making and delivering social justice.” The BJP leader said certain hardline religious leaders are trying to confuse Muslims by asking them to write ‘Islam' in place of caste, which he said would defeat the very purpose of the exercise.
"This is caste census not religious census," he said. “Caste is part of culture, not religion,” Ali said, urging Muslims to stand firm against any such misinformation campaigns.
Ali pointed out that approximately 85% of India's Muslim population belongs to Pasmanda (backward and marginalised) communities, emphasising that they stand to benefit significantly from caste census data.
He accused the opposition—Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, and Congress—of historically misleading the Muslim community. However, he asserted that Muslims have now recognised these tactics and are rallying behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Announcing the BJP Minority Morcha's efforts, Ali stated that the party would ensure accurate information about the caste census reaches every household in the state.
He also outlined plans for a major digital campaign focused on youth outreach, aimed at fostering nationalism among Muslim youth.
"The enthusiasm among Muslims for this census will be clearly visible. The BJP is committed to uplifting all marginalised communities, and this marks a significant step toward inclusive development," he added.
Sixteen years after the last census in 2011, the government on Monday issued a notification for India's 16th census, which will include caste enumeration in 2027.