Caste census not enough

The decision to make a caste census is welcome but questions arise when and whether the survey would reflect the ground reality.

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Political analysts are of the opinion that the BJP has now changed its strategy and is trying to bring together OBC-Dalit-Muslim into its fold to consolidate the party’s position, which is necessary at this juncture before the Bihar Assembly election and to retain power. Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has rightly demanded that the Centre provide the timeline by when the census would be carried out.

Calls for a national caste census crystallised after Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), the ruling party in Bihar, published the results of a statewide caste survey. It is significant to note that the survey, released in October 2023, revealed that over 80 per cent of the state’s population belongs to extremely backward classes.

Caste consciousness is evident in today’s situation as even now in educated and liberal families, marriages of upper castes are generally avoided with lower castes. In rural and semi-urban areas, members of subaltern castes continue to suffer not just discrimination but also oppression based on their social status.