Even as the Census 2010 process has already begun, the opposition has made demanded that the count should include caste data. On Monday, opposition members rushed to the well of the Lok Sabha to press their demand, forcing two adjournments. The government finally gave a nod for discussion on this issue in the house on Tuesday.

Speaker Meira Kumar got the papers and bills listed on the agenda moved, including a controversial one for allowing the foreign universities to set up institutions in India, amid pandemonium and adjourned for the post-lunch session.

Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj raised the census issue again when Deputy Speaker Kariya Munda was in the chair and stressed that various anomalies should be removed before allowing the just-started census to be carried on. She also expressed fears that even the illegal migrants will also get counted under the present methodology.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal conceded a short-duration debate on the issue on Tuesday and a possible government reply on Wednesday if the debate goes on for whole of the day, but still the opposition members kept attacking the government on its hesitation to count the backward classes in particular.

Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav accused the government of “suppressing the reality” of the percentage of backward class population going up by not allowing a caste-based census, which has not been carried out since 1931, to know the real number of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs). He said the OBCs are not getting their due share in terms of reservation since their latest count is not available.

Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad said the castes are a reality and more so with the government giving caste-based reservation and hence the census should find out the real number of the OBC is. He was supported by Bahujan Samaj Party leader Dara Singh Chauhan, Janata Dal (U) chief Sharad Yadav and others. Sharad Yadav regretted that the government has no qualms in counting even non-Indian outsiders in the census but not those who enjoy various government facilities like reservation.

CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta wanted an all-party meeting to decide the ticklish issue of having a column for castes in the Census form. CPI(M) leader Basudeb Acharia said castes divide the and hence his party is opposed to the caste-based census. But since the OBCs are already determined and given recognition, he does not understand why they should not be counted when Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are duly counted.