So, all these exclusions from society, politics, and economy have led to the demand for a caste census. The Congress party’s insistence on a national socio-economic and caste census is, therefore, a demand to make democracy data-driven. As Rahul Gandhi has put it, a caste census is like an ‘x-ray’, a diagnostic instrument that should guide fair distribution of seats, services and subsidies. As the first OBC Chief Minister in Karnataka (himself from the Turuvekere Urs community, a backward caste), he transformed the state’s approach to social justice. As Rahul Gandhi has put it, a caste census, conducted transparently and coupled with constitutional safeguards, can help design affirmative action that is precise, equitable and sustainable.