Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh BJP Minority Morcha on Wednesday, June 18, said the party will soon launch a state-wide campaign to ensure accurate dissemination of information on the upcoming caste-based census, especially within the Muslim community.

It appealed to Muslims to provide their correct caste details while filling out the census forms and not to be misled by clerics or opposition leaders who are allegedly urging 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.

He pointed out that around 85 per cent of the Muslim population in India comprises Pasmanda (backwards and marginalised) communities, who stand to benefit significantly from the caste census data.

Ali accused opposition Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Congress of historically misleading the Muslim community.

“But this time, Muslims have seen through their designs and are now rallying behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath,” he said.

Ali announced that the BJP Minority Morcha would ensure that correct information about the caste census reaches every household in the state.

He also said that there are plans to run a major digital campaign aimed at youth outreach, which would ignite a spirit of nationalism among Muslim youth.

“The enthusiasm among Muslims for this census will be clearly visible. The BJP is committed to the upliftment of all marginalised communities, and this is a major step toward inclusive development,” he added.

Sixteen years after the last census in 2011, the government on Monday issued a notification for conducting India’s 16th census which will include caste enumeration in 2027.