New Delhi, Apr 30 (PTI) The Congress on Wednesday demanded that the government allocate funds to initiate the caste census with "complete transparency".

His comments came within hours of the government announcing that caste enumeration would be included in the forthcoming census exercise in a "transparent" manner.

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Addressing a press conference, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of "avoiding the implementation of this policy of social justice while accusing the opposition of the dividing society" of the lines of caste.

"The Congress demands allocation of budget for starting caste census work with complete transparency," he said while asserting that caste census is necessary and the progress of every person cannot be fully ensured in the absence of participatory justice.

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Opposition parties, including the Congress, have been demanding a nationwide caste census, making it a major election issue. Some states like Bihar, Telangana and Karnataka have conducted such surveys.

Announcing the decision taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the census comes under the purview of the Centre, but some states have done caste enumeration in the name of surveys "non-transparently" which has created doubts in the society.

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