In a dramatic policy turnabout, the central government on Wednesday announced that a country-wide caste census will be conducted as part of the upcoming national population census.
This decision came after a crucial meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, during a media briefing after the meeting, informed, "Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs decided today that caste enumeration will be part of the upcoming census.
This historic judgment is likely to redefine political discourse, particularly with the caste census having been a core Congress-led INDIA bloc demand for a long time. The question has struck a chord with a wide section of the electorate, rendering it a powerful poll talking point.
Political observers say this sudden action would drastically change the social and political equation in the nation, particularly as it defies long-held reservations about a caste-based survey at the national level. Hitherto, the central government had been opposed to such an exercise on the grounds of concerns over fragmentation in society.
But opposition parties—most loudly the Congress and its allies such as the RJD—have been insisting on a caste census, contending that proportional representation in government should be based on the actual demographic make-up of society.
By acting first, the BJP government seems to have jumped the opposition's gun, and thereby possibly countered one of the Congress's most potent election appeals. The decision also has a timely political implication with Assembly elections on the horizon in Bihar, a state where caste permutations have a tremendous impact on election results.
In Bihar, where the Congress, RJD, JD(U), and BJP function within a deeply rooted caste structure, the Centre's action may help to strengthen the BJP's appeal by showing the Centre's seriousness regarding social equity.
Merging the caste enumeration with the nationwide census allows the BJP to frame the exercise not only as a tool for governance but also as a step toward broader social justice under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi—while simultaneously portraying its rivals as using the issue for mere political leverage.
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