New Delhi, Sep 26 (IANS): Hours after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi once again pitched for caste census, senior party leader Jairam Ramesh endorsed his view and questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi is silent on the issue.

In a post on X, Ramesh, who is a Congress General Secretary and Communication incharge said: "Today, when the issue of development of backward classes has been raised, it is important to remember that former Chief Minister of United Madhya Pradesh Arjun Singh, while being the Human Resource Development Minister, had played an important role in getting 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in 2006."

"Nevertheless, more concrete steps will have to be taken to connect the backward classes with the development of the country. According to a report by Azim Premji University, the participation of backward classes in big enterprises is very low. His involvement is similar in other fields also.

"Caste census is very important to empower the backward people. The number of people belonging to OBC and other categories and their participation in the development of the country will be known only through caste census. Today Rahul Gandhi again raised its demand in Chhattisgarh. Why is the Prime Minister silent on caste census?" Ramesh added.

His remarks came after Gandhi, addressing a public meeting in poll-bound Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur, asked the Prime Minister why he was afraid of the caste census in the country.