Shimla, May 2 -- Even as the Congress' Himachal unit hailed the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for initiating the caste census, Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) accused the grand old party of "playing politics" over the issue.

"This was a demand raised by Rahul Gandhi and it has been accepted," Himachal chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Thursday while speaking to mediapersons.

Sukhu added, "the purpose of the caste census was not to divide the society, but to address the injustice faced by certain communities."

"This is not about creating division based on caste. This is a vision, a thought process. For communities who have been historically deprived-even 75 years after independence, this is about ensuring they get thei...