Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in his latest speech once again brought up his pet project of a nationwide caste census. He mentioned in this regard the ‘Socio, Economic, Education, Employment, Political and Caste Survey’, undertaken by the Congress Government in Telangana, according to which 56.33 per cent of the state’s population—including 10.08 per cent of BC Muslims— belongs to the Backward Classes. The Scheduled Castes constitute 17.43 per cent and the Scheduled Tribes 10.45 per cent. The state’s Chief Minister, Revanth Reddy, is expected now to formulate government policies in a manner that will allocate resources in accordance with this census. Also, to provide representation in power proportionate to the numbers – much in the way the late Kanshi Ram had sought ‘jiski jitni sankhya bhari, utni uski hissedari’. How this will be achieved remains to be seen, but considering how far Kanshi Ram and Mayawati got with this philosophy it is likely to prove a gargantuan task.
Anyway, having opened the Pandora’s box in Telangana, the opportunity now exists for Rahul Gandhi to prove how appropriate and effective is such an approach. To claim that ninety percent of the population is denied opportunities, and that this impediment can be fixed by manufacturing outcomes, goes against the essence of the Constitution he so often brandishes, as also common sense. For instance, are sections of society that adhered responsibly to the national objective of limiting their families to two children, now going to be blamed for having improved their circumstances? Observers point out that the political implications of sharing the cake among the Backward Castes themselves can be fraught with danger. Something that the Congress leadership in Karnataka fully realises, because of which it has been sitting tight on its own caste census.
The social implications of trapping people in their caste identity are also serious. The higher people rise on the economic scale, life situations require that they be less constrained by caste. If they are recognised at every level on that basis, it can prove an impediment to social mobility. Of course, as has always been the case with attempts at unity on the basis of animosity towards a particular community – such as the Jews in Europe – the ‘general category’ of castes is likely to be targeted. Rahul Gandhi has already fixed this number at ten percent. For the next couple of decades, if he has his way, this section can be comfortably blamed for all that is wrong even as the rest become a consolidated Congress vote bank. Is India ready for such politics?
