Caste Census: A Political Hot Potato on the Eve of 2024 General Elections
Asia News Agency
The Bihar government released the results of its recently concluded survey of castes in the state. This reveals that Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) constitute more than 63% of the population of Bihar.
The “unreserved” category of so-called “forward” castes is about 15.5%.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumaar said “the survey has not only considered one’s caste but also one’s economic status, which would help us devise further policies and plans for the development of all classes.”
Absence of data on OBCs in earlier census
Every Census in independent India from 1951 to 2011 has published data on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, but not on other castes. Before that, every Census until 1931 had data on caste.
In the absence of such a census, there is no proper estimate for the population of OBCs, various groups within the OBCs, and others. The Mandal Commission estimated the OBC population at 52%, some other estimates have been based on National Sample Survey data, and political parties make their own estimates in states and Lok Sabha and Assembly seats during elections.
Views of Congress and BJP on OBC data
The demand for a caste census comes up before almost every Census - largely from among those belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBC) and other deprived sections, while sections from the upper castes oppose the idea.
This time, however, things have been quite different. With Census 2021 delayed several times, the Opposition parties have made the loudest cry for a caste census as they seem to have converged on ‘social justice’ as their slogan and glue.
Earlier this year, while campaigning in Karnataka, Rahul Gandhi said the Modi government should reveal the data of the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) conducted under the UPA-II government. He also called for a caste census and for the removal of the 50% cap on SC/ST/OBC reservations.
The BJP, earlier stand was that as a matter of policy it will not enumerate caste-wise population other than SCs (Scheduled Castes) and STs (Scheduled Tribes) in Census. But on August 31, 2018, following a meeting chaired by then Home Minister Rajnath Singh that reviewed preparations for Census 2021, the government said: 'It is also envisaged to collect data on OBC for the first time.’
The RSS view: The RSS has not made any statements on a caste census in a while now, but has opposed the idea earlier. On May 24, 2010, when the debate on the subject had peaked ahead of Census 2011, then RSS leader Suresh Bhaiyaji Joshi had said in a statement from Nagpur: ‘We are not against registering categories, but we oppose registering castes.’ He had said a caste-based census is against the idea of a casteless society envisaged in the Constitution and will weaken ongoing efforts to create social harmony.
