News Analysis India

Tag: Caste census

  • Centre’s no to caste census: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar in shock, RJD goes ballistic

    Express News Service

    PATNA:  Politics in Bihar went on boil on Friday following the Centre’s refusal to carry out a caste census, with the opposition accusing the BJP of being deceitful with the OBCs. RJD chief Lalu Prasad urged the people to boycott the OBC ministers and MPs of BJP, if they don’t come out in support of caste census. “Why does the BJP and the RSS hate backward castes so much? The caste census will benefit all sections and the reality of all will come out,” he tweeted.

    The BJP was forced to come out defending the Centre’s decision not to enumerate the OBCs, saying it was an ‘impractical’ demand. BJP state chief Sanjay Jaiswal separated the party’s stand from the stand of ally JD-U on the caste census. “It is not the right to repeat the mistake of 2011. It is impractical demand. Around 4.28 lakh castes were found during the 2011 caste census through columns filled by the people.

    A majority of people had not mentioned their castes. The Centre finds it impractical to create 4.28 lakh columns for it,” he asserted. In the socio-economic census in 2011, he said, the government has seen that it was completely impractical to conduct caste based census at present. 

    Every state is free to work on the caste census, he said. “But for the Centre now, it is not possible to conduct the enumeration of castes for all-except SC/ST, as part of census 2021.” But, BJP ally Nitish Kumar is at his wits end since Thursday. He had led all-party delegation to meet the PM on August 23. “The news came like a bolt from the blue for Nitish, who was hopeful of a positive outcome after the meeting,” a senior JD-U leader said, Understandably, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav sought statement from Nitish on the Centre’s refusal for caste census.

  • BJP takes dig at oppn parties pitching over caste census, says it stands for ‘sabka saath’

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: A day after the Modi government in an affidavit in the Supreme Court virtually ruled out caste census, the BJP on Friday took a swipe at parties advocating it and asked how much representation have they given to different social groups in their organisations and among elected representatives.

    The ruling party made it clear that its stand on the politically fraught issue can be different from those, including some of its allies, supporting the step.

    Several parties, mostly regional ones which draw their core support from some of the Other Backward Classes, are pitching for a caste census.

    At a press conference, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi criticised parties such as the Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Bahujan Samaj Party, all of whom have called for caste census, alleging their leaders were projected as leaders of the poor and deprived communities but they ended up promoting their own families.

    Asked about the government’s stand on the issue, he said it has taken a position on “technical grounds”.

    Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav used to be called “dharti putra” (son of the soil) but he ended up promoting his son.

    Mayawati, addressed as “behan” (sister) by her admirers, spoke of the deprived communities but groomed her brother,” Trivedi.

    He also slammed the RJD for its alleged family rule and corruption.

    As far as the BJP is concerned, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policy is clear. It is “sab ka saath, sabka vikas” (with everyone, development of all), Trivedi said and cited the government’s welfare measures like direct benefit transfer and supply of free grains and cooking gas cylinder to the poor irrespective of the beneficiaries’ caste and community.

    “We stand for respecting all, giving space to everyone and progress of all. It is visible in the expansion of the (Union) council of ministers and also in our party’s functioning,” he said.

    Asked about some of BJP’s allies, including Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) and Union minister Anupriya Patel’s Apna Dal, also demanding a caste count of the population, he said different parties are free to take an independent stand.

    He noted that many BJP allies had a different stand on the issue of Ram temple while his party strongly worked for it.

    “On that issue (Ram temple) we and our allies had a different stand. They can have a different stand on this issue (caste census),” the BJP spokesperson said.

    The Centre had told the Supreme Court on Thursday that caste census of backward classes is “administratively difficult and cumbersome” and excluding such information from the purview of Census is a “conscious policy decision.”

    The Centre’s stand assumes significance as recently, an all-party delegation from Bihar, which was led by Nitish Kumar, had met the prime minister demanding caste census.

    In an affidavit filed in the apex court, the government has said that caste enumeration in Socio-Economic and Caste Census 2011 was fraught with mistakes and inaccuracies.

  • Centre’s refusal for caste Census of backward classes exposes BJP, says BSP chief Mayawati

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: BSP president Mayawati on Friday expressed grave concern over the Central government’s “refusal” for caste Census of backward classes and said it exposed the BJP of using the community only for its electoral interests.

    Mayawati’s reaction comes after the Centre told the Supreme Court that caste Census of backward classes is “administratively difficult and cumbersome” and excluding such information from the purview of Census is a “conscious policy decision”.

    In a tweet in Hindi, the BSP supremo said, “The categorical refusal of the Central government to conduct the caste census of the backward classes by filing an affidavit in the Hon’ble Supreme Court is a matter of grave concern which exposed the OBC politics of BJP’s electoral interests and also the difference in their words and deeds.”

    She said like the SC/STs, the demand for conducting caste census of OBCs has gained momentum in the country.

    But the refusal of the Centre is going to hurt the community, she said.

  • Caste Census of backward classes administratively difficult: Government to Supreme Court

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Centre has told the Supreme Court that caste Census of Backward Classes is “administratively difficult and cumbersome” and excluding such information from the purview of Census is a “conscious policy decision” The Centre’s stand assumes significance as recently, a 10-party delegation from Bihar, which was led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding caste Census.

    In an affidavit filed in the apex court, the government has said that caste enumeration in Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 was ‘fraught’ with mistakes and inaccuracies.

    The affidavit was filed in the top court in response to a plea by Maharashtra seeking a direction to the Centre and other concerned authorities to disclose to the state the SECC 2011 raw caste data of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) which is not made available to them on ‘repeated demand’.

    The affidavit, filed by the secretary of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, said the Centre has already issued a notification in January last year prescribing the series of information to be collected during Census 2021 and it covers many areas including the information relating to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes but does not refer to any other category of caste.

    It said the exclusion of information regarding any other caste from the purview of Census is a “conscious policy decision” taken by the Central government.

    It said enumeration of OBCs/BCCs (Backward Class of Citizens) has been always adjudged to be administratively “extremely complex” and even when Census of castes were taken in the pre-independence period, the data suffered in respect of completeness and accuracy.

    “The issue has been examined at length in the past at different points of time. Each time, the view has consistently been that the caste Census of Backward Classes is administratively difficult and cumbersome; it has suffered and will suffer both on account of completeness and accuracy of the data, as also evident from the infirmities of the SCEE, 2011 data mentioned hereinabove making it unusable for any official purposes and cannot be mentioned as a source of information for population data in any official document,” the affidavit said.

    The government said that SECC 2011 survey was not on the ‘OBC survey’ as alleged, but a comprehensive exercise to enumerate the caste status of all households in the country, as per their statement.

    It said socio-economic data of households, including their ‘deprivations’ were used to identify the poor households based on the multi-dimensional nature of poverty and used in the implementation of the anti-poverty programmes by the Central Government ministries.

    It said, “the caste data has not been disclosed and has been kept with the Office of the Registrar General, India (ORGI) for various reasons, but primarily for the technical flaws that were noticed in the raw caste/tribe SECC data which makes it unusable as explained hereinafter.”

    The matter came up for hearing on Thursday before a bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar which posted it for October 26.

    In the affidavit, the government has said that so far as caste data is concerned, a caste-wise enumeration in the Census has been given up as a matter of policy from 1951 onwards and thus, the castes other than the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes have not been enumerated in any of the Census since 1951 till today.

    It said demands from various sections, including members of Parliament, for enumeration of castes in Census 2011 was received during the year 2010 and the matter was discussed in Lok Sabha and subsequently, the government referred it to a Group of Ministers (GoM) chaired by the then Union Finance Minister.

    The affidavit said the Union Cabinet in 2011 decided to conduct the SECC 2011 wherein the caste of the household along with social-economic status on the identified parameters was directed to be collected.

    It said as per the decision of the Cabinet, the data has been shared with the ministry of social justice and empowerment by the ORGI in a hard disk for taking the suitable decision on its use.

    “Pertinently, due to several infirmities found in the aforesaid data as explained hereinafter, it was decided by the Cabinet to constitute an expert committee under the chairmanship of the then Vice-Chairman NITI Aayog Prof Arvind Panagariya,” it said.

    It said other members of the committee were not named and the panel never met.

    “As a result, no action has been taken on the data in the past five years,” it said.

    The affidavit said as against more than 4.28 lakh castes which have been enumerated in the SECC 2011 in the state, the existing castes which are published in Maharashtra in SC, ST, and OBC categories are only 494.

    “For the above referred various reasons either due to the mistakes committed by the enumerators, inherent flaws in the manner of conducting Census and several such other factors, there is no reliable or dependable castes based Census data available which can be the basis of any constitutional or statutory exercise like reservations in admission, promotion or local body elections,” the affidavit said.

    The government said that the population Census is not the “ideal instrument” for the collection of details on castes and the operational difficulties are so many that there is a grave danger that the basic integrity of the Census data may be compromised and the fundamental population count itself could get distorted.

  • 10 per cent quota for EWS won’t affect existing system: Union Minister Ramdas Athawale

    By PTI

    CHENNAI: Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale on Sunday said he favoured a caste based census to ascertain the exact population of various communities and stressed that the BJP-led government’s 10 percent reservation for the economically weaker section will not affect the existing reservation system.

    Among an increasing chorus by various sections seeking enhanced reservation, a question has been raised about the ceiling for providing the quota, he said. “For instance Tamil Nadu has the highest proportion of reservation at 69 percent ensuring quota for various sections. There are many sections across the country who demand enhanced reservation,” the Minister noted.

    On his visit to the metro, Athawale justified the Centre’s 10 percent quota for EWS and hinted that this would not affect those already enjoying the reservation. “Personally, I would favour a caste based census. But it is upto the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to decide,” the Republican Party of India (Athawale) chief told reporters.

    On the DMK storming to power in the State after a decade, Athawale said Tamil Nadu people’s clear mandate to the DMK has to be accepted. “But during the next Assembly election, the people will vote the AIADMK-BJP combine to power. I request Chief Minister MK Stalinji to give land to the landless poor for free and also protect the Dalit community from atrocities,” the Union Minister said.

    Recalling his recent visit to Kashmir, Athawale claimed the atmosphere in Kashmir has transformed for the better after the abrogation of Article 370 (on August 5, 2019) and the bifurcation into two Union territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. “On the second anniversary, I noticed the Indian tricolour flying more prominently everywhere,” he said.

  • Muslims too divided along caste lines, any caste census should include them: Muslim bodies

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Various bodies claiming to represent the backward sections of Muslims demanded on Thursday that any caste census should include Muslims and claimed that the community like Hindus is also divided along different castes and sub-castes.

    Former MP and All India Pasmanda Muslim Mahaz president Ali Anwar supported the demand made by a number of political parties for caste census and said any such counting should include all religions.

    “Like the Hindu community, Muslims are not a monolith social group and are divided among different castes and sub-castes,” he said at a event held here.

    ​ALSO READ | No confusion on caste census: Kota Srinivas Poojary

    Anwar, who was sacked from the JD(U) in 2017 for his opposition to the party joining hands with the BJP, alleged that the BJP-led government is trying to make Muslims “second class citizens” and also criticised the so called secular parties for ignoring the concerns of the backward sections of Muslims.

    A booklet was released on the occasion that also demanded that Scheduled Castes benefits should be extended to “dalit” sections of Muslims and Christians.

    Anwar said the reports of the Ranganath Misra commission and the Sachar committee had made recommendations on these lines A number of political parties have pitched for caste census, saying it is necessary to effectively implement welfare schemes for the backward sections of society and identify the extent of their backwardness.

    Anwar said any caste census should include all communities and religions.

  • BJP silent but caste census demand gets louder

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  With Assembly elections scheduled next year, there has been a growing demand for caste census by political parties accusing BJP of keeping mum on the issue, while some regional parties are yet to clear their stand on the matter.

    An all-party delegation from Bihar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month over the issue. Eyeing UP elections early next year, the Samajwadi Party has launched a slogan ‘jiski jitni sankhya bhaari, utni uski hissedaari’ (partnership in government should be proportionate to the numbers of a community), while Congress has constituted a committee under former Union minister M Veerappa Moily to look into this.

    Bahujan Samaj Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal have been silent and have not clarified their stand on the matter. BSP has been banking upon its social engineering formula to form a Dalit-Brahmin alliance, while RLD is focusing on Jat-Muslim unity. Other smaller parties that are supporting the NDA government have also favoured caste-based enumeration.

    “BJP had called for a caste census when it was in the Opposition. BJP in power is unaccountable and opposite to what its leaders had said on this. If people are not counted on economic status and caste, due representation and opportunities cannot not be guaranteed,” said SP spokesperson Ghanshyam Tiwari.

    The Left, NCP, DMK and others have also asked the Centre to carry out the caste census. “Caste census was last done in 1931 by Britishers. When there is no data (updated), how do you frame policies? BJP thinks it will lose the support it has and some political parties may try to use it and others may have their own reasons,” said CPI general secretary D Raja.

    The Congress is also backing the census with UP elections around the corner. “The UPA conducted an economic and caste census in 2011 but the BJP did not publish it after coming to power in 2014. It should be done for the benefit of people who have been at the receiving end,” said UP Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu. DMK leader Tiruchi Siva said the government has responded to the matter and it was raised even during discussion on the OBC Bill. 

  • As parties unite for caste census, Bihar BJP to meet people with works done for OBCs

    Express News Service

    PATNA: Amid the growing dissension among the NDA allies with backup from opposition on the caste census, Bihar BJP’s OBC Morcha resolved on Tuesday to reach the people of OBCs with the works done for them by the BJP government in Centre or State.

    Attending the meeting of Patna Mahanagar OBC Morcha, former dy chief minister and current MP (RS) Sushil Kumar Modi claimed that the BJP-led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not only done a lot of works for the OBC people but also emerged as the real party concerned about the OBCs and other extremely backward classes.

    “A simple example of BJP is enough to prove the party’s genuine concern for the OBCs. As many as 27 OBC MPs are in the union cabinet of BJP-led government in centre as ministers. Besides this, reservation granted to the children of people belonging to OBCs in NEET is another benchmark in the credibility of party for the OBCs,” Modi said.

    Dr Nikhil Anand, national general secretary of BJP OBC Morcha, told this newspaper that a two-day executive meeting of Bihar OBC Morcha will be held in one of the most backward districts-Khagaria on September 4 and 5.

    The Bihar BJP is all geared up to expose the opposition on the demand of caste census for OBCs by highlighting the works done for the betterment of people of OBCs across the state.

  • JDU will keep pressing Centre with demand for caste census, says party resolution

    Express News Service

    PATNA:  The JD-U will not budge an inch from its demand for caste census or implement any law to check population growth.

    Firming this up at its National Executive Council meeting on Sunday, Bihar’s ruling party also stated that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is not a contender for the post of Prime Minister, although he has has the qualities to take up that role.

    The National Executive Council also approved the unanimous election of Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh as the national president and lauded the performance of outgoing president Ram Chandra Prasad Singh.

    Passing a resolution in support of caste census, the JD-U will continue to press the Central government on this, it was decided.

    The National Council also approved the party’s stand of not going in for any law to check population growth.  

    ALSO READ | Dr Nikhil Anand interview: ‘How many OBC leaders have RJD, SP produced beyond their family till date?’

    “Instead of making or adopting any law, the JD-U is promoting education among girls and women to make them aware of population growth. Population control can only happen when women and girls are educated properly,” said KC Tyagi.

    Later, national general secretary Tyagi said that JD-U will  contest next year’s UP Assembly elections either as a partner of BJP or alone.

    The National Council also authorised the national president to take the initiative to contest elections with the NDA in other states including Uttar Pradesh, on the basis of a fair share of seats in Assembly elections.

    The focus of the meeting was on continuing with the demand of caste census. Tyagi said this has become a national issue with support from many more parties.

    “The JDU is continuing with its stand.”

    He also said the party has decided to make the JD-U a national entity through performance, policies and people’s support and participation. Tygai said that a coordination committee should also be formed in the NDA to avoid unnecessary statements.

  • Dr Nikhil Anand interview: ‘How many OBC leaders have RJD, SP produced beyond their family till date?’

    Express News Service

    NDA allies in Bihar – the JD-U, the Hindustani Awam Morcha and the VIP, have joined the Opposition in demanding a caste census. Dr Nikhil Anand, a social-justice thinker and the national general secretary of the OBC Morcha of the BJP speaks to Rajesh Kumar Thakur on the party’s stance on social justice and caste census. Excerpts:

    The BJP is getting cornered on the issue of caste-based census with its allies joining hands with the Opposition. What do you say?

    The issue of social justice has been defined well by our PM Narendra Modi ji with the slogan- ‘sabka sath, sabka vikas and sabka vishwas’. He has done a lot to uplift members of the deprived and  oppressed communities whether SC, ST, OBC or Economically Weaker Sections (EWSs). Caste census is just one issue. The whole idea of social justice can’t be limited to caste census.

    The BJP is the biggest advocate of social justice since the starting days of Jana Sangh. Do you think, caste census is the panacea for all the evils plaguing Indian society? It seems like Pandora’s box, but we are sensible in our approach and very pragmatic towards the cause of social justice. We are not directly opposed to the caste census, but the time frame and preparation are also important. Those demanding caste census must first ask the Congress why they have betrayed the OBCs since Independence.

    You can’t blame the Congress for not doing enough for the caste census in 2021. Now, it is your government that is in power at the Centre. What do you have to say?

    In 2010, there was a debate in Parliament on conducting a caste census in 2011. Those blaming the BJP should listen to what our leaders Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Gopinath Munde and said on the issue back then. It is in the records of Parliament. After the said debate, the UPA government agreed to conduct caste census. Usually, census is conducted under the Census Act. Surprisingly, rather than doing it with the regular census, the UPA government conducted a separate caste census involving private agencies and NGOs of their choice in violation of the Census Act. They wasted 5,000 crore of public money and ended up doing something like a sample survey. That is why there are so many data discrepancies. The Congress has cheated the OBCs of India by doing a Caste Census Fraud, which must be investigated and the culprits brought to book.

    BJP’s prominent ally in Bihar, JD-U has joined the Opposition in demanding a caste census. How difficult will this be for the BJP in the coming days?

    Parties like the RJD and the Congress are so desperate to save their family business, which is politics. The RJD has used the OBCs as a vote bank only. How can the party justify its stance, while sitting in the lap of the Congress? BJP is sitting pretty well, banking on the work done by the union government over the past seven years. Whatever our PM has done for social justice in seven years, the Congress couldn’t do in 70 years. Antyodaya (Social Justice) and Rashtrawad (Nationalism) are at the core of our governance. We have promoted the all-around growth of this country. No political party has done anything close to what we have done for the poor through ‘Garib Kalyan Yojna’.

    It has been reported that there is a difference within the Bihar BJP over caste census. Is it true that there are two factions in the party on this issue?

    BJP is the only political party, which has inner democracy and a culture of discourse. Most of the political parties in Bihar and India are either a family fiefdom or pocket organisations of self-obsessed individuals. The BJP, under the leadership of PM Modi ji and Amit Shah ji has become the largest political organisation globally proves that we are a democratic party. The positive growth and journey of the BJP continues with present president J.P.Nadda ji. Every leader of our organisation is committed to the nation first, the party second. So, the question of factionalism is a fiction written by the Congress.

    RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has repeatedly branded the BJP as anti-OBCs. What is your response?

    Giving constitutional status to NCBC, the inclusion of 27 OBC ministers in Union Cabinet, giving reservation to OBC & EWS in NEET, OBC reservation in KVS, NVS, Sainik Schools; these are some of the pro-OBC decisions of PM Narendra Modi. They are the most courageous since Mandal Commission Implementation. The recent Cabinet expansion has given a strong message to the communities, who were left out till date from the policy-making and decision-making process.

    This gives an opportunity to the subaltern leaders, who have been inducted into the top decision-making body to prove their leadership credentials and work hard to realise the vision of Modi ji. The days of casteism and dynastic social justice leaders are going to be over with a new era of social justice heralded by PM Modi. This Union government has the quantitative aptitude as well as the qualitative merit to take India towards the future, to newer heights. Narendra Modi as the new messiah of social justice has arrived for the OBCs.

    A JD-U leader Upendra Kushwaha had recently said, even if JD-U is in NDA, if the government doesn’t conduct caste census, then it can create conflict with the BJP.

    I won’t make any personal statement on a leader, who is chairman of JDU parliamentary party. But everyone should know that BJP respects its alliance partners and their leaders. The longstanding credibility, essence and ethos of NDA won’t be disturbed by any individual statements. JDU’s senior leader RCP Singh is the part of the union cabinet. But I would like to add some points here as well. BJP OBC Morcha has recently organized a programme to felicitate 27 OBC ministers in Delhi. We are receiving calls from all over the country appreciating the PM’s initiative in favour of OBCs. Even some left, liberal and congress people are calling in person to appreciate the PM.

    I would again repeat that Congress is the villain of the Caste Census and that’s why they are keeping quite on this issue like a cunning fox. Where Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and what are their take on the caste census issue? Whereas RJD is going through cat fight days and they are raising some issues out of context to save the prestige of party and family.

    How would the BJP tackle the aggressive politics played by the RJD in Bihar and SP in Uttar Pradesh on caste census and other social justice issue?

    See, RJD and Samajwadi Party echo the OBC sentiment only to grab votes their votes. How many OBC and Yadav leaders, have they produced beyond their family till date?  Akhilesh Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav have taken up politics like family businesses. There are many more talented, educated OBCs and Yadavs, who are struggling to come to the mainstream of politics. When the RJD got an opportunity tobe a part in the Union government, they promoted a mafia criminal Taslimuddin as MOS- Home and we have included bright young leader Nityanand Rai, a Yadav as MOS- Home. Today, Bhupendra Yadav is the biggest Yadav face in Indian Politics courtesy BJP’s inclusive politics. These people have no political legacy and come from a very humble background.

    What is the stand of BJP OBC Morcha on the issues related to the OBC community including caste census?

    The BJP OBC Morcha intends to take up the positive debate on social justice to every nook and corner of India in the leadership of its National President Dr K Laxman ji. We have not rejected the caste  census issue in toto, but we are against any attempt to promote casteism and create divisions in society. OBC Morcha wants to go beyond the caste and promote community development. Our goal is not fragmentation but the consolidation of society and strengthening of the country. We want equal opportunity, equal participation and equal representation for OBC.

    The Congress has never spared anyone who fought for or promoted the cause of nationalism and social justice in politics, whether they belonged to their own fraternity or rival camps. The victimisation of Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Syama Prasad Mukherjee, Ram Manohar Lohia, Jayaprakash Narayan, B P Mandal, Karpoori Thakur,  K Kamaraj, Devaraj Urs to V P Singh, Arjun Singh, Sitaram Kesri, Rajesh Pilot and others clearly shows Congress’ bias against leaders who tried to express their nationalism or stood in favour of the exploited and downtrodden.