RSS should not give in to narrow political demands. Caste census will divide Hindu society

If caste system is outdated and needs to go, so should caste census, especially when the Congress wants to equate privileges with numbers.

Illustration: Soham Sen | ThePrint

With the clamour for a caste census growing, several pressure groups aligned with political parties or driven by ulterior motives of exploiting vote bank politics are busy pandering to identity politics, drowning all logic and reasoning. The Congress seems to be leading this Faustian demand with little regard for the consequences. Perhaps the Congress’ strategy is to divide the consolidated Hindu vote bank into separate caste-based vote banks, which could be an effective tactic to rob the BJP of political dividends from Hindu votes.

Surprisingly, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) seems to support a nationwide caste census. After discussing the matter in detail at a recent meeting, the 99-year-old organisation suggested using the findings of the caste census to devise programmes for the betterment of deprived caste groups that need political support to join the mainstream. The RSS always adopts a statesmanlike approach to many divisive issues. It should know better than to yield to a political demand that is parochial and could create schism in Hindu society—whose consolidation and unity are the organisation’s prime objectives. If caste is outdated and needs to go, so should the caste census, especially when the Congress wants to equate privileges with numbers (“Jitni aabadi, utna haq.”).

It is naïve to believe that the caste census could be conducted without any ulterior political motives or that the findings would be used solely for policy and programme development, rather than for garnering votes.

In any case, it would be difficult for both the people and the state to determine caste-based preferences, as both urban and rural India have largely moved beyond rigid caste boundaries. The argument that an OBC chief minister will better guarantee the welfare of OBC groups in his or her state is as much a delusion as the belief that a state governed by a female chief minister will be free from incidents of violence against women. Remember, both the 2012 Delhi bus gangrape and the 2024 Kolkata rape-murder happened under the rule of a female chief minister.

Congress’ hypocrisy

To understand the politics of caste census, one should examine the Congress’ stance on the issue. While Rahul Gandhi has made the caste census his “life mission,” a senior leader in his party has correctly argued that the exercise “cannot be a panacea nor a solution for the unemployment and prevailing inequalities.”

The Congress’ hypocrisy is evident from its act of omitting caste data from the 2011 census. In 2010, the Pranab Mukherjee-led committee, constituted by the UPA government, had recommended conducting a caste census. India’s first post-Independence Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC), extensively discussed in Parliament and approved by the Manmohan Singh government, was carried out in 2011 across about 640 districts out of the total 800-odd districts.

In 2015, then-Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced the results of this first paperless census, conducted with hand-held electronic devices, on the floor of the House. The report was extremely depressing, particularly for those committed to the development and empowerment of the poor and marginalised. The survey findings were intended to help the central and state governments in formulating policies for target groups and planning more effective poverty alleviation programmes. The rural development ministry decided to use SECC data in all its programmes, such as NREGA, National Food Security Act, and the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana.

Although sufficient data was available on the status of deprived and marginalised communities, including SC/ST, the government was criticised for not providing caste-specific breakdowns of those surveyed. The 2011 census, conducted during the UPA government, could have included caste data but did not, as acknowledged by Jaitley, who said, “The name of the report indicates (caste), but caste is not reflected in our data … still the name is socio-economic and caste census.”

Based on the 2011 census data, including caste information, the Union and state governments could have tweaked their respective projects and conducted periodic assessments of their policies and programmes. While the central government might have acted upon some findings from the 2011 SECC census, there is limited information on the state governments’ programmes.

Say no to caste census

Ironically, the pre-Independence Congress was against dividing society based on caste. Opposing the British colonisers’ ‘divide and rule’ strategy, several social reformers endeavoured to end caste divisions and unite society in the fight against colonial rule. In his writings in “Annihilation of Caste,” BR Ambedkar questioned the scientific basis of caste, advocating for its abolition and the reconstruction of Hindu society while asserting that a socialist revolution is unattainable as long as the caste system persists. MK Gandhi termed caste as ‘a social evil’.

VD Savarkar wrote against caste cruelty, untouchability and injustice toward women, advocating for a casteless society. The Patit Pavan Mandir he established in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district allowed entry to all Hindus, including Dalits, demonstrating that a casteless society is possible, and earned accolades from Ambedkar in a letter dated 18 February 1933. RSS founder KB Hedgewar, who identified caste division as the very antithesis of Hindu unity, introduced the shakha system to combat caste-based discrimination and untouchability. At a lecture in Pune in May 1974, the third Sarsanghchalak, MD Deoras, said that the caste system is outdated and should have no place in society. The current Sarsanghchalak, Mohan Bhagwat, has reiterated that varna and caste, which are discriminatory, ‘should go out lock, stock and barrel’.

There are enough examples for the Congress—and the RSS—to follow and collectively say no to the caste census.

Seshadri Chari is the former editor of ‘Organiser’. He tweets @seshadrichari. Views are personal.

(Edited by Prashant)