Caste Census in India

Caste has indeed influenced politics in India. It has been used for different purposes by different political parties. Caste calculus has affected electoral equations. Opposition parties have raised the voice for caste based census in India. Especially after the formation of the INDI Alliance to counter the continuous rise of the political prospectus of the BJP from 2014 till date. Though the third term showed the decline in the performance of BJP, it mustered the numbers as NDA and the strong leadership of Narendra Modi enabled it to form the government for the third consecutive time under his able leadership. Now this issue of caste census has engulfed the politics of the BJP led NDA. Its constituent parties like Janata Dal(United) and Lok Jan Shakti Party(Ram Vilas) have also raised demand for a nationwide caste census. Not only that, a new development has taken place. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh(RSS),the ideological fountain head of the BJP has indicated its support for a caste based census at its important conclave from Kerala. Explaining its rationale for supporting the caste based census in India the RSS has said that it is an important tool for ensuring the welfare of the marginalised communities in India. But at the same time its has added the rider that the caste census should not be used for political exploitation and electoral expediency. While addressing the media in Kerala’s Palakkad, RSS’s Bhartiya Prachar Pramukh (National Publicity Chief), Sunil Ambekar has said that caste and caste-relations are very sensitive issues and he also underlined its implications for the national unity and integrity. Thrust of his statement has been that some communities and castes are lagging behind and thus need special attention to be at par with the other sections of Indian society. His assertion was that earlier governments also have been collecting data of the marginalised sections of the Indian society and there is no harm in doing it again. Provided this exercise should be done only for the welfare of the communities and castes that deserve the attention. It should not be an election issue or election tool. It is pertinent to mention that since the opposition led by the INDI Alliance has demanded the caste based census, the BJP has responded with devising the alternative narrative. As per the BJP the four new castes that have emerged in modern India are women, poor, farmers and youth. It has to be borne in mind that before BJP had alleged that the opposition’s demand for the caste census will divide the society and it was trying to consolidate it. Now that the RSS has underlined the support for the caste census there will surely be some policy development from the government. The message from the RSS Kerala Conclave is clear that it wants the BJP to address the social fault lines based on caste and thus act to forge a social unity. During the conclave the recent Supreme Court order on the sub-classification of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes was also discussed. In which it was resolved that no steps should be taken without the consensus in the concerned communities. BJP allies like LJP(RV) have vehemently opposed the sub-classification of SC’s but the BJP has not responded to it. From Sunil Ambekar’s message on behalf of the RSS, it is clear that it wants the BJP to adhere to caste census. RSS has been working for decades in the far flung areas of India like North-East and other areas to consolidate its base by organising the marginalised classes like the Adivasis. Surely, it wants the BJP to consolidate the work done by the RSS for the marginalised sections in various parts of India. It must be kept in mid that in 1990’s India had witnessed an agitation against reservations when the Mandal Commission made certain recommendations. Indian society has learnt many lessons in the past decades. There is a need to address the social fault lines. So that national unity is upheld at all costs.