CONTEXT

• Recently the voices for a fresh caste census are getting louder in the country after the Bihar Chief Minister led a delegation of 10 political parties of the State to meet the Prime Minister.
• No political party in the country has publicly opposed the demand as yet, and most have supported the call.
• Predictably, there will be more political mobilisation on the issue.

LAST CASTE CENSUS

• The last time India’s population was enumerated on the basis of caste was in 1931, when it was under colonial rule.

AGAINST THE CASTE CENSUS

• There is a strong argument that the colonial census was about creating and reinforcing caste and religious categories in India rather than recording them in a benign manner.
• Sceptics also fear that repeating the practice again will only widen social rifts.
• They also point to the multitude of practical problems such an exercise will encounter.

IN FAVOUR OF THE CASTE CENSUS

• • The supporters of a caste census cite following reasons in favour:
  • Effective governance requires robust data on the governed.
  • The creation of categories is itself a political act.
  • Indian politics and the governance structure are all premised on categories that were firmed up during colonialism.
    • The salience of caste as the fundamental marker of identity for an Indian has only grown since Independence.
  • As the democratisation of society deepens, questions are being raised regarding the status of Dalits, tribal communities and a large section of the population that is characterised in the Constitution as Socially and Educationally Backward Classes.
  • Political representation of these communities has increased and their participation in government jobs has risen.
  • It is assumed that particular groups within each category have benefited disproportionately from political and job reservations, and there are demands for sub-quotas.
    • This inequitable distribution of power and wealth endangers the stability of any society.
  • Many communities are demanding inclusion in one category or the other, while some are feeling short-changed by the affirmative action steps of the state.
  • With the role of the Government as a big employer diminishing, there is a demand for affirmative action in the private sector.

• All these questions are being debated without adequate and reliable data, leading to conflicting and often misleading claims.

CONCLUSION

• Partisan political gains should not be the motivation for a fresh census.
• A renewed vision for a just and united India, where all divides are reduced must guide the discussion on a caste census.

Reference:

1. https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/caste-counts-the-hindu-editorial-on-census-and-partisan-political-gains/article36088071.ece