Bengaluru, September 11 (Daily Kiran) : Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara has accused the central government of attempting to undermine the caste census through its proposed methodology. Speaking on Friday, he emphasized that the census should yield precise and actionable data, rather than merely adding a question about caste to the census questionnaire.
Parameshwara, a prominent leader of the Dalit community in the state, stated that the NDA government at the center had been forced to accept the caste count after years of opposition. He warned against rendering the process meaningless through inadequate methods.
For years, the BJP-led central government resisted the idea of a caste census. In 2021, it informed Parliament of its policy decision to refrain from counting the population by caste. Parameshwara noted that the Congress party has consistently advocated for an updated caste census. He mentioned that Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi have made social justice and equitable representation key issues.
While welcoming the central government’s announcement to include a caste count as part of the census, Parameshwara raised concerns about the reliability of the data that would emerge from such a process. He expressed apprehension regarding the proposed methodology, warning that without a standardized and verified caste framework, an open-ended system could lead to multiple entries for the same community under various spellings, sub-caste names, and regional identifiers.
“This could result in thousands of different entries for a single community,” he said, adding that such fragmentation would complicate the accurate assessment of various communities’ populations.
He questioned why India maintains a standard list for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes but has not developed a scientific framework for counting Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Parameshwara pointed out that both the central and state governments already maintain lists of backward classes and socially and educationally backward communities, with decades of administrative experience in implementing reservation and welfare programs.
He suggested that the central government should combine the central and state lists, establish standardized caste codes, and create a system that accurately links various names, sub-castes, and regional identities to appropriate categories.
Karnataka has already conducted a significant social and educational survey, while Bihar and Telangana have also carried out caste-based surveys. Parameshwara urged the central government to learn from the experiences of these states and consult with state governments, experts, political parties, and community representatives before finalizing the methodology.
He characterized the caste census as a “means of social justice,” asserting that comprehensive caste-related information is essential for formulating policies related to reservation, education, employment, welfare, political representation, and economic opportunities.
Reliable data is particularly crucial for the Ahinda communities, which include minorities, backward classes, and Dalits, to identify their social and educational backwardness and ensure equitable access to development opportunities.
Parameshwara called on the central government to reconsider its open-ended methodology, create a scientifically standardized national caste list and coding framework, and harmonize the central and state OBC/SEBC lists while safeguarding state-specific identities. He also demanded a system to record communities that are currently unlisted for future verification, emphasizing the need for dialogue with states, political parties, social justice experts, and community representatives.
He concluded by stating, “The people of India did not demand a caste census just to add a caste-related question to the questionnaire. They demanded it to uncover the truth about the country’s social structure.” Parameshwara urged the central government to either conduct an accurate caste census or explain why it fears “counting the truth.” He underscored that caste-related data should be utilized to forge the next generation of social justice.
Leave a Comment