E-Paper
SP’s caste census campaign to gather momentum
All opposition parties in UP welcome the Bihar government’s move and Patna HC decision; even OBC-based BJP allies reiterate support for caste census in the country
LUCKNOW The Samajwadi Party’s demand for caste census will now gather momentum and put pressure on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the Patna high court on Tuesday upheld the exercise initiated by the Nitish Kumar government in the neighbouring Bihar.
The Patna high court dismissed all petitions challenging the conduct of a caste survey in Bihar by the state government. The caste survey in Bihar was slated to be carried out in two phases.
“Revoking the stay on caste-based survey is the victory of social justice. Caste census will prove the right way for social justice,” stated SP chief Akhilesh Yadav in a tweet.
Apart from the SP, all opposition parties in UP welcomed the Bihar government’s move and the HC’s decision. Even OBC-based BJP allies reiterated support for the caste census in the state and the country.
However, the BJP maintained silence on the caste census.
The SP, which had been demanding a caste census for over two decades, had turned the issue into its top poll plank for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as part of party chief Akhilesh Yadav’s new formula - the PDA (Pichada, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) that is backwards, Dalits, and minorities - chiefly Muslims.
The caste census idea that the SP had been talking about was primarily aimed at OBCs (other backward classes) — the single-largest section of voters in the U.P. Both the BJP and the SP were vying to win the support of this section.
In UP, the SP, the Congress, the RLD, Apna Dal (K) - all part of the national ‘INDIA’ opposition coalition of 26 parties, had joined hands on the issue and welcomed the Patna HC’s decision.
“Of course, the Bihar development will rev up our caste census campaign. We will not sit quiet till the census happens,” said Rajpal Kashyap, state president of the Samajwadi Backward Classes Cell.
“Imagine, the country is still following the caste data from the pre-independence era when India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh were one entity. Uttar Pradesh has 79 OBCs, and according to the 1931 caste-wise census, they are 52% of the total population. Now, the OBCs may have easily surpassed 60% of the total population, but are getting only 27% of reservations based on 1931 data. That is why we want caste census so that different castes get benefits as per their share in the population,” said Kashyap.
The Congress’ pitch for the caste census was also getting louder. The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), an ally of the SP in the 2022 UP assembly polls, supported the demand along with another SP ally - Apna Dal (K) that held a caste census demand-themed conference in Lucknow last month.
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which was not part of any coalition as of now, too hailed the Patna HC’s decision, but said that it might not bring in the desired advantages because of the diminishing government sector jobs.
“It is BSP’s stated policy that we support caste census. Every religion has castes but there is no count. For ensuring social justice as enshrined in our Constitution, first, we should know the numbers so that various castes get benefits accordingly,” said Bhimrao Ambedkar, a BSP MLC. He added: “The caste census might not lead to any benefits to the disadvantaged groups because this government is abolishing vacancies in the government sector. It is turning regular jobs into contractual ones. How will there be social justice, he asked.
Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) and NISHAD party - both allies of the BJP - supported the caste census. SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar said: “We support the caste census…it should happen.” His son and party’s spokesperson Arun Rajbhar said: “Social justice cannot happen without caste census, and we hope that the next NDA government led by PM Modi will think over it.”
Political observers felt the BJP-led NDA government developed cold feet on the caste census and maintained status quo fearing that the census might lead to a tricky situation that was witnessed when the Mandal Commission report was implemented in 1990 and the caste census might also harm the BJP’s goal of ‘uniting and mobilising Hindus’.
