What is a caste census? Why is it important? How does it change Indian politics forever?
While the Hindutva Brigade will claim to bring all castes and subseeders to a common platform, Congress will claim that it succumbs to political coercion by constantly raising the issue and putting pressure on the ruling party.
The Narendra Modi government, led by the BJP, and the Rahul Gandhi of the Indian opposition coalition under Rahul Gandhi won praise for the caste census. While the Hindutva Brigade will claim to bring all castes and subseeders to a common platform, Congress will claim that it will put pressure on the ruling party by constantly raising this question and putting pressure on the ruling party rather than under political coercion, rather than any real love for the marginalized parts of society.
History of caste census
However, it must be remembered that in Hullaballoo, the British government enumerated all castes in the census exercises conducted between 1881 and 1931. When the first census was held in Independent India in 1951, the then-Jawahar Lal Nehru government decided not to count castes, except for the intended castes and tribes, perhaps to show the homogeneity of an independent society gained after years of colonial exploitation and “segment and rule policies.”
In 1961, the Union government asked all states to conduct caste surveys and prepare a state-specific OBC caste list. The states prepared their OBC caste list and put it on the list so that the benefits of reservations can be expanded to them. Decades later, after 2011, the coalition government under Manmohan Singh held a national caste enumeration under the socioeconomic and caste census to collect detailed information on the socioeconomic status of families and individuals, including their castes. The decision was to believe that focusing on caste can perpetuate divisions and hinder national unity in the new independent state.
Bihar, Telangana and Karnataka states conducted their own caste surveys to collect data to support state-specific retention policies and welfare programs. The decision-maker was shocked when Bihar revealed in a 2023 caste survey that OBC and extremely backward classes accounted for more than 63% of the state’s population. It also has a clear understanding of the economic status and education of the people.
What is a caste census?
The government collects data on caste identity during the national census. From a socioeconomic and political perspective, such data are important because they provide insights into population distribution, socioeconomic conditions, and representatives of various caste groups. This is also important because castes have historically shaped the social, economic and political dynamics of India that cannot be considered. The caste system is like an elephant in a room, you may not like it, but you can’t ignore it.
In caste surveys held in the past, the population of caste, religion and occupation was documented, providing detailed demographic data. This is partly intended to meet the colonial needs to understand and control India’s complex social structures.
Why is it important?
Analysts believe that the caste census could have far-reaching consequences and bring about a paradigm shift in the country’s politics. It may change the grammar of Indian politics and can be compared with the recommendations of the Mandal Commission. It will further deepen identity politics, divide politics on caste line, and undermine the current caste-based political dynamics. The caste census may change reservation policies, political representation and social justice programs.
