CASTE SPLITS CABINETOVER CENSUS PLAN
By Sowmya Aji and A. M. Jigeesh in New Delhi
Quota brigade claims Group of Ministers route is adelay tactic
THE Union cabinet which met on Wednesday is said to be divided on
caste lines over the politically- sensitive issue of a caste- based
census in the country.
The UPA government, in an effort to buy time and paper over the cracks
on the issue, has referred the matter to a group of ministers ( GoM).
This is ostensibly to decide when to take up such a census across the
country.
Law minister M. Veerappa Moily's belief that the cabinet " has a
majority" in favour of the caste census — his is the main voice behind
the move for a caste census — appears to have been belied.
A senior minister said, " The Congress is committed to caste census,
so it should happen. But there was a division of opinion, and
ministers from the forward castes were not in favour of the caste
census." However, some cabinet ministers tried to play down the
differences.
One minister said, "There was consensus at today's (Wednesday's)
meeting. It is standard practice to send major decisions to a group of
ministers to work out the modalities and then implement the decision
properly."
There was an immediate reaction from the quota brigade — the Yadav
chieftains from the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Rashtriya Janata Dal
(RJD) and the Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) — who condemned the cabinet
decision as a delaying tactic.
SP vice-president Brij Bhushan Tiwari said, "The Congress and the UPA
government are not keen on a caste census. The cabinet discussed the
issue at two meetings and could not take a decision. The decision to
send the matter to a group of ministers is a ploy to delay the
census."
Sources said arguments for and against flew thick and fast on
Wednesday. Moily gave voice to those favouring the caste census and
home minister P. Chidambaram to those against. According to sources,
Moily, social justice minister Mukul Wasnik and power minister Sushil
Kumar Shinde spoke out strongly in favour of including caste in the
census. But Chidambaram put forth all the logistical arguments against
it, and he was supported by sports minister M.S. Gill, science and
technology minister Kapil Sibal and commerce minister Anand Sharma,
sources said.
Some ministers from the forward castes who backed the case for a caste
census did not speak up, according to sources. Meanwhile, several
backward classes ministers including the two DMK ministers M.K.
Alagiri and A. Raja, were not present, the sources said. Senior UPA
allies like Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress and Sharad Pawar
of the NCP did not attend the meeting.
Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee reportedly played the role of
peacemaker at the meeting. Sources said that he suggested the escape
hatch of a GoM and placated Moily by stating this group would decide
"at what point in the process of census the caste question should be
introduced."
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reportedly nodded his assent to this
suggestion. The argument is that caste can be included in the other
stages of the census that is planned, like biometric identification
and the awarding of the unique ID, which is likely to continue well
into 2011.
A cabinet note on the subject makes the divide clear as it refers to
Moily's letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on August 6, 2009
seeking a caste census as well as the objections from the Registrar
General and Census Commissioner, which comes under the home ministry.
Quoting from Moily's letter, the note says, " Unless the reservation
is based on precise and credible data, it may negate the social
justice spread to the weaker sections of the society. In the absence
of any other comprehensive survey, census alone can collect the caste
particulars." The census commissioner's note says, " The population
census is not the idea instrument for collection of caste details. The
operational difficulties are so many that there is a grave danger that
the basic integrity of the census data may be compromised and the
fundamental population count itself could be distorted." Tentatively,
the GoM will be headed by Mukherjee with Moily, Chidambaram and
defence minister A. K. Anthony as the other members.
The caste divide in the cabinet, however, appears to reflect Congress
strategy to ensure that the party does not lose its support base among
the upper castes — according to political observers, these castes will
suffer if the caste census takes place.
However, such a census is likely to benefit parties that derive their
strength from the OBCs, like the Bahujan Samaj Party ( BSP), the SP,
RJD and JD ( U).
Another view is that the Congress wants to hold on to the promise of a
caste- based census till the BSP, SP, and RJD — which support the UPA
from outside — support the government on Nuclear Civil Liability Bill.
If such support does happen, the caste- based census could be the "
reward". JD ( U) president Sharad Yadav, another vocal votary of the
caste census, said, " The Parliament had unanimously supported the
idea of a fresh count of OBCs in the country. The Prime Minister
assured the Houses that the government will do it. I don't understand
why the cabinet decided to delay it further." The RJD was still
hopeful.
Senior MP Jabir Husain said the matter had reached a point that the PM
would not be able to " go back on his assurance deviate given to
Parliament on the issue". The BSP was harsh in its criticism. " The
government doesn't want Indians to know about Indians. They want to
keep many Indians in darkness," senior MP Rajan Ambeth said.
There was also confusion on the ground. The door to door enumeration
process in the census has already begun and enumerators are asking for
caste details in some areas and not seeking this detail in others.
Cabinet divided on caste census
Continued from Page 1
One minister said, "There was consensus at today's (Wednesday's)
meeting. It is standard practice to send major decisions to a group of
ministers to work out the modalities and then implement the decision
properly."
There was an immediate reaction from the quota brigade — the Yadav
chieftains from the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Rashtriya Janata Dal
(RJD) and the Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) — who condemned the cabinet
decision as a delaying tactic.
SP vice-president Brij Bhushan Tiwari said, "The Congress and the UPA
government are not keen on a caste census. The cabinet discussed the
issue at two meetings and could not take a decision. The decision to
send the matter to a group of ministers is a ploy to delay the
census."
Sources said arguments for and against flew thick and fast on
Wednesday. Moily gave voice to those favouring the caste census and
home minister P. Chidambaram to those against. According to sources,
Moily, social justice minister Mukul Wasnik and power minister Sushil
Kumar Shinde spoke out strongly in favour of including caste in the
census. But Chidambaram put forth all the logistical arguments against
it, and he was supported by sports minister M.S. Gill, science and
technology minister Kapil Sibal and commerce minister Anand Sharma,
sources said.
Some ministers from the forward castes who backed the case for a caste
census did not speak up, according to sources. Meanwhile, several
backward classes ministers including the two DMK ministers M.K.
Alagiri and A. Raja, were not present, the sources said. Senior UPA
allies like Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress and Sharad Pawar
of the NCP did not attend the meeting.
Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee reportedly played the role of
peacemaker at the meeting. Sources said that he suggested the escape
hatch of a GoM and placated Moily by stating this group would decide
"at what point in the process of census the caste question should be
introduced."
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reportedly nodded his assent to this
suggestion. The argument is that caste can be included in the other
stages of the census that is planned, like biometric identification
and the awarding of the unique ID, which is likely to continue well
into 2011.
A cabinet note on the subject makes the divide clear as it refers to
Moily's letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on August 6, 2009
seeking a caste census as well as the objections from the Registrar
General and Census Commissioner, which comes under the home ministry.
Quoting from Moily's letter, the note says, " Unless the reservation
is based on precise and credible data, it may negate the social
justice spread to the weaker sections of the society. In the absence
of any other comprehensive survey, census alone can collect the caste
particulars." The census commissioner's note says, " The population
census is not the idea instrument for collection of caste details. The
operational difficulties are so many that there is a grave danger that
the basic integrity of the census data may be compromised and the
fundamental population count itself could be distorted." Tentatively,
the GoM will be headed by Mukherjee with Moily, Chidambaram and
defence minister A. K. Anthony as the other members.
The caste divide in the cabinet, however, appears to reflect Congress
strategy to ensure that the party does not lose its support base among
the upper castes — according to political observers, these castes will
suffer if the caste census takes place.
However, such a census is likely to benefit parties that derive their
strength from the OBCs, like the Bahujan Samaj Party ( BSP), the SP,
RJD and JD ( U).
Another view is that the Congress wants to hold on to the promise of a
caste- based census till the BSP, SP, and RJD — which support the UPA
from outside — support the government on Nuclear Civil Liability Bill.
If such support does happen, the caste- based census could be the "
reward". JD ( U) president Sharad Yadav, another vocal votary of the
caste census, said, " The Parliament had unanimously supported the
idea of a fresh count of OBCs in the country. The Prime Minister
assured the Houses that the government will do it. I don't understand
why the cabinet decided to delay it further." The RJD was still
hopeful.
Senior MP Jabir Husain said the matter had reached a point that the PM
would not be able to " go back on his assurance deviate given to
Parliament on the issue". The BSP was harsh in its criticism. " The
government doesn't want Indians to know about Indians. They want to
keep many Indians in darkness," senior MP Rajan Ambeth said.
There was also confusion on the ground. The door to door enumeration
process in the census has already begun and enumerators are asking for
caste details in some areas and not seeking this detail in others.
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