RJD leader Manoj Jha says the caste survey in Bihar will form the basis of future affirmative action in the state. In an exclusive interview with THE WEEK, he says if the opposition alliance wins the election, it will replicate the exercise nationally. In his view, the ongoing debate around merit in the country is farcical. Excerpts:
Why do we need a caste census?
The last caste census was carried out in 1931. After that, partition happened, but the data was not revised. We had the first backward castes commission— the Kaka Kalelkar Commission—in 1953, which after doing a lot of work, discarded its own report. Then came the Mandal Commission, which after a lot of anthropological work and extrapolation of data from 1931, derived a figure of 52 per cent OBCs and recommended a reservation of 27 per cent for them. The backward caste communities feel they need representation based on contemporary data.
Will caste census be the main election plank for the opposition?
If we win the election, we will do it. If we don’t, we will still stick to it. So this is not an electoral issue for us. It is about commitment to constitutional values, to the subalterns. Beyond political representation, has there been a change in institutional representation? No. Look at the judiciary or the bureaucracy.
A caste survey has been conducted in Bihar.
Bu hikaye THE WEEK India dergisinin October 15, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye THE WEEK India dergisinin October 15, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Will Modi 3.0 Run Its Full Term?
The Narendra Modi government has a wafer-thin majority. Either of Modi’s partners, the JD(U) with 12 seats or the TDP with 16, can upset the apple cart. That was the condition of V.P. Singh’s government. It lasted 11 months. That too was the condition of Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s first government in 1996. That lasted 13 days. The plug can be pulled at any time.
Two missing from the house
We heard Narendra Modi during the poll campaign say, he had missed an opposition during his 10-year rule, and “it pains my heart”. The agony would have abated now. Janata-Janardan has granted him an opposition.
Stories from the Himalayas
I first heard of Looms of Ladakh when the pandemic hit in 2020. We were looking for artisans and artisanal cooperatives to raise funds for and someone had suggested their name. Fortunately they were well looked after by their founders, but I continued to follow their extraordinary work since then.
The feminist Souza
Janeita Singh's essays will soak you in F.N. Souza's art
Controversies minus commotion
Beyond the Hype lifts the lid on medical cases where overheated rhetoric alarms the uninformed
Who is the bigger heroine?
Suspended woman constable of the CISF Kulwinder Kaur suddenly became heroine no.1 in the eyes of millions. It was alleged that she had slapped controversial real life heroine Kangana Ranaut, the newly minted Lok Sabha MP from Mandi, at the security-check area inside Chandigarh airport. The video of the incident went viral as divided opinions jammed social media, with supporters of both women pitching in.
Animal charm
How stories from the Panchatantra, which recently got UNESCO recognition, became timeless tales with universal appeal
BIG IS BEAUTIFUL
The transformation of a young woman to one of the heaviest woman powerlifters in the world
Strong men do cry
Let's go home,\" Sunil whispered in my ears after playing his last international match and crying his heart out at the Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata. Perhaps he knew that I, and all others in the family, wanted him to continue, but what would make us happier is to see him spend more time at home.
Farewell, legend
Sunil Chhetri's determination to be counted among the best was rewarded by a stellar international career, evoking comparisons with all-time greats like Messi and Ronaldo
