Mumbai The demand for the state to conduct a caste-based census has gained momentum among the ruling parties of the coalition Mahrashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government as well as independent legislators.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar directed the state unit to take up the issue and ensure it is approved by the state cabinet. Last week, Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil also announced his intention to meet chief minister Udhhav Thackeray seek an all-party meeting.
“A caste-based census has become the need of the hour in the country, which the NCP has been demanding. On behalf of the party, I will meet the chief minister and request that he call an all-party meeting on this issue,” Patil said.
Separately, independent legislator Kapil Patil, who supports the MVA government, wrote a letter to Thackeray on Friday and asked that all-party meeting be held to discuss this issue. “Since the Central government has rejected the demand for caste-based census, it is possible for state governments to conduct such an exercise,” he wrote.
The resolution was passed on January 8, 2020, and the registrar general informed the Maharashtra Assembly through its letter issued on February 17, 2020. State party president Nana Patole, who was the assembly Speaker at the time, moved a resolution asking that the Centre to conduct a caste-based census in the state, which was unanimously passed.
However, the Centre replied saying that there was no such provision in the Constitution and, furthermore, such an exercise would adversely affect the integrity of the census exercise. In a letter, dated February 17, Vivek Joshi, registrar general and census commissioner of India informed the Maharashtra assembly that the demand could not be agreed to.
“As a Speaker, I brought a resolution in the state assembly for caste-based census. The Congress’ stand is clear that caste-based census should be conducted so that the fundamental rights of the community cannot be denied,” Patole said.
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar recently announced that a caste-based count would be conducted in the state.
A caste-based census will determine the population of the Other Backward Class (OBC) community — an issue that has been in the eye of the storm after the Supreme Court scrapped political reservation in local bodies to OBC communities in 2021 —which in turn, will benefit all political parties including the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as a raft of elections in local bodies, including important municipal corporations, are slated to be held this year.
The apex court quashed the allocation of up to 27% reservation to OBC communities and said that a fresh and rigorous empirical data should be the basis of determining reservation. It further directed the state government to collate this data.
Empirical data is information that emerges from on-ground research. It is based on carefully designed research methods to ensure accuracy, quality and integrity of data collected, and involves reaching a conclusion through observation as well as documentation.
The state government’s failure to restore OBC quota in the past year, despite its best attempts — it passed two ordinances, which were struck down by the Supreme Court; its interim report on OBC population too was rejected by the apex court— has led to widespread disgruntlement among sections of the OBC community, which is estimated to make up nearly 52% of the state’s population.
The issue has also been used as the proverbial stick by the BJP to score political points over the MVA; most recently, the party held a rally in Mumbai demanding restoration of OBC quota. It has also criticised the Thackeray government in the past for its “incompetence” in the matter.
“This could open a Pandora’s Box for the BJP-led Central government, as there may be many castes getting more reservation than their population which may make it impossible for the Centre to accept such a census. Providing reservation to all the castes in proportion to their population and that too, within the 50% reservation quota mandated by the Supreme Court is almost impossible. A government can provide reservation but it cannot take a risk of reducing reservation of a community,” political analyst Abhay Deshpande said.
“If a census is conducted then the OBC reservation issue will be resolved forever. The caste identity politics will further help the MVA to neutralize the communal divide politics of the BJP,” a senior NCP leader said on condition of anonymity.
