On caste-in-census, every party has own road map
Swaraj Thapa
Posted online: 2010-08-02 22:53:28+05:30
New DelhiThe manner and modalities of including caste in the ongoing
Census operations could prove to be a larger hurdle than expected.
Leaders of different political parties say that they are ready with
their responses to be sent to the leader of the Lok Sabha and finance
minister Pranab Mukherjee, but indicate that they have suggested their
own road maps for including caste in the census operations.
CPI's Gurudas Dasgupta, BJD's Arjun Charan Sethi and Asaduddin Owaisi
of the AIMIM say that they would be sending in their responses in the
next two days.
Mukherjee has set August 7 as the deadline for political parties to
give their written opinion on the subject. Only four parties,
including the SP and the JD(U), have sent in their responses so far.
The Left parties in particular, will be telling Mukherjee to avoid any
headcount that will give out the numbers of each caste or community.
"In our response, which we will be sending on Monday, we have made it
clear that the mechanism should be such that only the number of OBCs
should be established. The government should avoid any headcount on
community basis", says CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta.
His stand is endorsed by Basudeb Acharya of the CPI(M), who says they
would object to any mechanism where the population of each caste and
community could be established. "Our party stand was made clear in the
debate itself. We are supporting caste census only to the extent that
the number of OBCs are established," he says.
On the other side of the spectrum are parties like the SP and JD(U)
which contend that there is nothing wrong in a new caste column in the
census papers. "I have already given a road map to Pranab Mukherjee
spelling out how a caste headcount can be done," says JD(U) leader
Sharad Yadav.
SP general secretary Mohan Singh also asserts that having a caste
headcount would not harm the social fabric of the country and that his
party has already sent its response to the Congress leadership. "Caste
census is a must as reflected in the will of the Lok Sabha in the last
debate", he said.
Smaller parties like the BJD and the AIMIM too contend they have not
given any caveats. "We supported the caste census in the last debate
and will reiterate this position in our letter," says Arjun Charan
Sethi of the BJD.
According to observers, though, the biggest obstacle could come from
the Congress itself, which has witnessed a clear division on the
desirability of a caste headcount. Within the Cabinet itself there
have been differences of opinion on the issue with those like Veerappa
Moily and Pawan Bansal supporting the venture, while others like MS
Gill, Anand Sharma and Kapil Sibal remain opposed to the idea.
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