Muslim leaders and social workers say the PMO noting the proposal is only a paperwork and demand clear timelines
LUCKNOW — The Prime Minister’s Office has recorded a demand raised by Anees Mansoori, National President of the Pasmanda Muslim Samaj and a former minister, seeking a nationwide caste census and the inclusion of caste details in Aadhaar cards. While the development has drawn attention, Pasmanda Muslim leaders and social activists have made it clear that a mere acknowledgement from the PMO does not amount to justice.
Mansoori had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging the Centre to collect accurate caste data, arguing that without it, welfare schemes continue to bypass poor and backward communities, including a large section of Indian Muslims. The PMO has now informed him that his suggestion has been taken on record. However, activists say the government has a long history of “recording” demands without acting on them.
“The PMO noting a letter is not a policy decision,” Anees Mansoori said. “For decades, Pasmanda Muslims have been demanding real data. Governments listen, file the papers, and then nothing moves. We do not need formal replies: we need action on the ground.”
According to Mansoori, the confirmation came through a letter issued by Purnima Prasad, Deputy Director in the Prime Minister’s Office, with a copy sent to Chandra Kishore Shukla, Under Secretary in the PMO. Community leaders point out that similar letters have been issued in the past on other issues, but have rarely led to concrete outcomes.
Senior figures in the Pasmanda Muslim Samaj said the Centre cannot claim commitment to social justice while refusing to release clear caste data. They argue that the lack of such data has helped dominant groups, including among Hindus, corner benefits meant for the poor, while backward Muslims remain invisible.
A Pasmanda activist in Lucknow said, “The government talks about welfare, but without a caste census it is blind. Upper castes already have power and access. Pasmanda Muslims are left fighting for scraps because the system refuses to count us properly.”
Social workers also criticised the idea that Aadhaar-linked welfare is enough. They said Aadhaar without caste details only strengthens a system where inequality is hidden rather than addressed.
“Schemes are designed without knowing who is poor and who is powerful,” said another community organiser. “This helps influential groups misuse benefits, while Pasmanda Muslims are asked to prove poverty again and again.”
The issue of education and employment was also raised sharply. Activists said backward Muslim communities continue to lag behind in universities, government jobs, and professional courses, while the government avoids hard questions on representation.
“If the Centre was serious, caste census would have happened long ago,” a Pasmanda leader said. “Every delay protects privilege. Every excuse hurts the poor.”
Calling the acknowledgement from the PMO only a first step, Mansoori warned against celebrating it. “This is not a victory,” he said. “It is a reminder that the government is still reluctant. We will judge the Centre not by letters, but by whether it announces a caste census and fixes a clear plan.”
Pasmanda Muslim groups have said they will continue to press the government, warning that symbolic responses will no longer satisfy communities that have faced decades of neglect, exclusion, and silence under successive regimes.
