On October 2nd, the Bihar government unveiled the findings of its comprehensive caste census, conducted in defiance of New Delhi’s opposition. For the first time in India’s history, a state has published caste-based population data. The issue has taken centre stage in the political arena, with prominent leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi, getting involved.
SUPREME COURT NOT TO INTERFERE
A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti issued a formal notice in response to several pleas challenging the Patna High Court’s August 1st decision, which had given the green light to the caste survey in Bihar. The release of the Bihar caste survey has left the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) both unsettled and perplexed about their response. There is a clear divergence in the stances taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his Cabinet colleagues, and senior party leaders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi labelled the survey report as an attempt to ‘divide the Hindu society,’ accusing Congress of ‘diminishing minority rights.
As of now, the government has published statistics for 215 castes in the state. The comprehensive economic survey report for the state will be presented in the Legislature after one and a half months, according to Nitish Kumar.
RESPONSE
While the prime minister, his ministers, and party colleagues expressed varying views, leaders from the INDIA bloc emphasized that governance participation should be proportionate to a community’s population size. Rahul Gandhi, immediately after the report’s release, tweeted that Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Scheduled Castes, and Scheduled Tribes make up 84% of the population and pointed out the disparity in their representation in the government.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad Yadav echoed a similar sentiment, stating, ‘Participation should align with population size.’ Even Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav supported the Bihar government’s report and advocated for a similar nationwide initiative.
WHY CASTE CENSUS MATTERS?
While the practical impact of a caste census on policy improvements and social equity remains a subject of debate, it undeniably holds the potential to significantly influence the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The current situation draws parallels with the Mandal-versus-Kamandal polarization of the early 1990s, when many political parties leveraged caste dynamics to counter the BJP’s influence among Hindu voters, primarily due to the Ram Mandir issue. With caste numbers now revealed, there’s a growing demand to exceed the 50% quota cap set by the Supreme Court.
Political analysts perceive the release of Bihar’s caste survey as a strategic move to counter the BJP’s plans to capitalize on the construction of the Ram temple in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls. The construction of the Ram temple has long been a significant demand among Hindu voters.
This issue could have a substantial impact on the BJP’s stronghold, Uttar Pradesh, which holds 80 Lok Sabha seats, more than any other state. Over the past decade, under the leadership of Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the BJP has forged a powerful social coalition encompassing upper-caste communities, non-Yadav OBCs, and non-Jatav Dalits.
THE SURVEY REPORT
According to the survey report, OBCs and extremely backward castes (EBCs) constitute 63% of Bihar’s population, while SCs account for 19.65%. The upper castes (general category) make up 15.52% of the population, which also includes around 5% upper caste Muslims. The Muslim population as a whole constitutes 17.70% of the state’s population. The Congress party, adopting the cause of OBCs, SCs, and STs, is aligning itself with Mandal parties and is actively addressing their concerns in election-bound states like Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan. In Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, the RJD, JD(U), and SP are gearing up to challenge the BJP.
In a significant shift from his father Rajiv Gandhi’s stance – who, as the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha in 1990, opposed the implementation of the Mandal Commission report and emphasized ‘merit’ as the primary criterion for jobs – Rahul Gandhi is now advocating for the rights of backward classes and Dalits by pushing for their proportionate representation in governance.