Govt in spot over caste-based census

Pressure is building on the UPA government to undertake a caste-based census, with supporters of the proposal pleading that the data so obtained, particularly on other backward classes (OBCs), would help in planning welfare measures.

The debate forced by Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Prasad Yadav and Sharad Yadav in Lok Sabha to push the government into a tight spot has turned out to be an exercise in unanimity, with political parties, including UPA constituents and the Left, agreeing to the proposal.

What started as a shrewd political maneuver on the part of the Yadavs has become a hot potato for the ruling dispensation as it would have to consider the mood of the House when it replies to the debate on the issue on Friday.

The caste-based census move also received support from the treasury benches, with only two members opposing it.

After the initial statement by former BJP minister Ananth Kumar on Wednesday that led to a full-scale confrontation with Lalu Prasad, other party speakers backed the proposal, giving a major boost to its votaries.

A majority of the UPA allies went with the move, thereby building pressure on the Congress-led government to include caste data in the ongoing census.

The Yadav trio and others such as Gopinath Munde and Hukum Narain Singh Yadav (both BJP) referred to reports of division in the cabinet. They warned the government of serious repercussions if it dithered on the issue, particularly after a near-consensus in Lok Sabha.

“The volcano is ready to erupt if OBCs are ignored any longer,” they said.

Expectedly, there were a few dissenting voices among Congress MPs. Lal Singh and Vinay Kumar Pandey opposed the caste-based census.

They felt such a move would further divide society. At one point Singh clashed with his own party MP Avtar Singh Bhadana after he pointed out that every community and caste had economically weak families and that such a classification had already divided society.