Caste count

IN a bid to wrest the pro-OBC initiative from the Opposition, the BJP-led Centre has announced that the caste count will be part of the next Census. The surprise decision comes in the midst of a volatile situation — the nation is expecting the government to up the ante against Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack. The BJP, however, has shown that even the interests of national security won’t make it lose sight of its electoral priorities. The short-term goal is to win the Bihar Assembly elections later this year; the larger objective is to upstage the Congress and other rival parties on the caste turf across the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had tried to simplify things when he said in December 2023 that there were only four ‘biggest’ castes — women, youth, farmers and the poor. The saffron party, supremely confident about the power of polarisation, let the Opposition play the caste card. However, the underwhelming show in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections was an eye-opener for the BJP, which managed to form the government only with the support of allies such as Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) and Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party. No wonder coalition compulsions have heavily influenced its decision on caste enumeration. Pressure from the Congress and other Opposition parties has also played a big role.

Another key factor is the tussle over BR Ambedkar’s legacy. No party can afford to adopt a half-hearted approach to fulfilling his grand dream of social justice, least of all the BJP. The importance of a nationwide caste count cannot be overemphasised. It will help policymakers tailor welfare schemes according to the specific needs of communities rather than persisting with a one-size-fits-all strategy. Transparent collection and meaningful use of data can go a long way in addressing social inequalities. As of now, it is vital to fix a timeline for the exercise as the Census has already got inordinately delayed.

Editorials