Best of Both Sides: On caste census, BJP has done what Congress couldn’t
(Guru Prakash)
The Narendra Modi Government has announced a key policy decision that is to enumerate caste in the country’s next census. A timely, bold and forward looking policy decision. It has received bi-partisan support specially in my home state of Bihar. Babasaheb Ambedkar in an important speech opined that India is yet to attain social democracy. This recent decision of the Modi Government is a tribute to Ambedkar’s vision and mission. It is a decision towards enabling and ensuring social justice and cohesion.
Neither Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi or Manmohan Singh could bring about this policy decision. When PM Modi came to power in 2014, he asserted in his speeches that the deprived sections of the society is in the center of this government. This decision of the caste census reaffirms the stand of PM Modi all along for the last 10 years. It is important to re-acknowledge that PM Modi himself comes from a OBC community in Gujarat and out of tireless hardwork he has risen to be the democratically CM subsequently elected PM of the country.
If you look at history caste enumeration has been absent from census. This can be solely blamed as Congress party’s lackadaisical attitude towards social justice. The Congress has been historically against such important policy decisions because it does not simply want India to progress. Congress party does not want to reduce social fissures. Congress party and its allies are only interested in suiting their own personal and familial interests in the best possible manner and hypocritically show to the voter that they care for social justice, which is nothing but a lie. It is also important to remember, the Congress’ Social Economic and Caste Census had its fair share of tremendous flaws.
The Modi Government’s intervention will now ensure there is a systematic approach to the caste census and ensure that it is in accordance to Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya’s vision of empowering the last citizen in the village. Moving beyond state level fissures on the issue, the Central Government will ensure fair transparency in bringing out a survey that facilitates human led development and tremendously reduce social fissures in the society. It will reaffirm we are one. Congress party should be again and again reminded of the way they have insulted tall Dalit leaders like Ambedkar, Babu Jagjivan Ram and yet get away with their unaccounted propaganda for doing something towards Dalit empowerment and assertion.
The Modi Government’s resolve of empowering the subaltern has been discernible right throughout. Be it accommodating those from the SC, ST, and OBC communities in the cabinet of ministers or ensuring India gets the first tribal woman president or ensuring representation for subaltern leaders in Governments such as making them Chief Minister or Deputy Chief Ministers shows the country now not just cares for the subaltern but also is resolute in enabling them to be seated in high echelons of power. To top it all, Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav congress’ famed ally in UP was seen receiving a photo in which his photo appeared in half the frame and Babasaheb Ambedkar’s photo was seen in half the frame. There cannot be a bigger insult to Dalits than this. Samajwadi Party and its leaders are renowned for insulting Ambedkar and Dalits in the past and have merely tokenized them as vote banks.
PM Modi has led and shown the way. 78 years after Independence there cannot be a better period where India is poised to take her rightful place amidst global uncertainties, the caste census comes as a policy imperative that can be showcased to the world that India is uniquely positioned to solve deep rooted social divisions, even if it takes time it is taking rapid strides. I do sincerely hope Modi Government uses the full advantage of web 3.0 technologies in the process of doing the census thereby also exhibiting to the world India’s technological leaps. With caste enumeration what India’s policy makers will also be privy to shape public policies that affect our everyday living.
(The writer is national spokesperson of the BJP)
