Census is a solemn exercise carried out by the Central
government. All these fulminations about caste wise Census are just a lot of
gas. The last caste wise count was done in 1931. Yet, in the Constituent
Assembly Debates, there is mention that many Dalits mentioned their castes
wrongly in 1941.
“. . . according to 1931 census we are few but even that is tolerable
as compared to the 1941 census, when the latter was taken the war was on and it
is possible that the census might not have been taken correctly, especially of
the Scheduled Castes. Caste Hindus got Scheduled Castes registered as Hindus
and the Muslims got them registered as Muslims. Therefore, I suspect that the
1941 census is absolutely wrong.” H. J.
Khandekar in Constituent Assembly Debates https://www.constitutionofindia.net/constitution_assembly_debates/volume/5/1947-08-27
It was argued in the Constituent Assembly Debates that the
(political) reservations should be on the basis of 1931 Census and not on the
basis of the (allegedly faulty) 1941 count. If the statistics of the caste wise
count were dubbed as biased or otherwise not accurate in the 1947, one can
imagine what will happen if caste wise Census takes place now in the era of
fake news, distortions and false pride in castes.
OBCs have been demanding caste wise Census because they want
sub categorisation. Also because according to them, their true size was not
gauged by the policy makers at the time of extending the OBC reservation i.e.
implementation of Mandal Commission recommendations. Other groups claim that
the 27% reservation was allotted to OBCs on the hypothetical basis of their
percentage in the population. Vested interests have never allowed caste wise
Census for so long because the real counts of particular castes may yield
surprising results.
There are many ways in which the government utilizes the
data gathered by Census. Enumeration of various data is done by the Government.
Apart from the Census, there is National Sample Survey Office [NSSO] which
routinely gathers data. There are a thousand ways to determine the numerical
strength of a particular community. Even the data gathered by Census mechanism
is not analysed to its fullest. There is vast scope for understanding and
interpreting data for better distribution of resources.
It is imperative that intellectuals of all views should try
to understand how to interpret the available data. NSSO surveys, wholesale
price and other indices would reveal a lot about condition of the society. Only
the leftists and so called liberal writers have so far mined the data to suit
their purposes. It's time for fresh views on all matters, including a look at
suitability of reservation as a tool for upliftment of the people not in the
mainstream.
Calls for inclusion of this or that data by the government
is done out of deep and total ignorance of the vast machinery and apparatus
that the government yields. The point is not the availability of data. Whatever
data is required by intending shapers of policy is out there in the open. If
one can just manage google searches, loads of data are available.
Specification of caste wise population, to reveal strength
or weakness of particular castes and groups will open a can of worms. Are we
ready?
Tailpiece: There is a tendency to gain so called higher
caste privilege by adopting surnames, while at the same time seeking lower
caste benefits by claiming social and economic deprivation. How will the twain
meet?
©Adv. Shrirang Choudhary.
shrirangchoudhary@gmail.com
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