The Gujjar agitation early this year had a certain demands based on castes. They demanded that their status of OBC be "upgraded" to the SC as they are deprived of a number of government facilities, in simple terms. The months long agitation blocked a national highway and derailed the transport running through the affected regions. The Rajasthan government almost gave in to their demands and accepted their proposals. But what many feared about the developments was that the giving in of the state government could have opened a Pandora's Box. In India their are huge number of tribes, sub-tribes that come under myriad number of castes and sub-castes. So what if every community leader stands up with a new set of demands.? If it happens then it would become a mammoth task for the governments, both the Central and the respective state ones, to melt the ice. So can the caste based census provide a solution if such situation arrises? The debate does and will continue
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Caste Based Census
Madras High Court in its recent ruling has directed the Centre to conduct a caste wise census. The honourable court must have ruled after seeing many discrepancies in the number of backward people spread across the country. The SCs, STs, or Other Backward Classes constitute the main structure of India's leading castes. What will be the end result of the ruling is only the matter of time. Now let's have a look over two incidences that had huge implications.
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Hi there. Do you think that just because this caste based census will pile up “mammoth task for the government” it is unadvisable to carry out such census? Even as the suggestion is made by the madras high court - for it will turn out to be nothing more than suggestion not followed, we are all aware of that - there are many tribes and castes in India who haven’t even started getting the benefit of the reservation which is already taking a toll on the general candidates now-a-days. The whole policy of reservation thus seems like a failure when we still see a number of these castes and tribes in the very same condition as they were, or maybe even worse, from the time when reservation was first implemented. Many would argue that these censuses never find their proper end but are left in the files and ultimately the vote-hungry policy makers do what they think fit to suit their necessities. Agreed! Also, many would argue, as you seem to be doing, that already benefited groups will again exploit the conditions for their own benefit. Agreed! But here, are we not ignoring those who never got any benefit and might have a chance to come to the forefront if we have a new data with us? How long should we keep ignoring them on the basis of a data that is five decades old, and keep making laws for the benefit of those who already enjoy certain benefits over these fifty years just because they are portrayed as deprived in that age-old data? It’s a fact that the community which exploits these reservations will do it only for their personal gains and the governments which supports it will also do it come to power in the next term. But in between these selfish ends, we have a different set of people like the analysts, the advisors and the media who subjects these policies to scrutiny and forces the government to turn its favours elsewhere as well. With this census, as happened with the Sachchar committee report, at least something of the truth will be out. Even if the government remains ineffective in the beginning, the think-tanks at least will have some data to base their arguments on, which in turn will set the process of change in motion. I think this census, if applied, will be the first step towards maybe a painfully slow but a determining process. We would be better with this census than we are without it.
Surbhi I think you are always on the prowl for your prey ie anything that is related to caste or reservation. I don't know whether you are a great votary of reservation, either caste based or based on anything else, but I am a staunch 'detractor' of reservation centred around castes or sub-castes. I rather support reservation that revolves and digs the educational and economic background of the people. I never intended to write about the caste-conflict, here it suggests the inequality among the many existing castes. This inequality can be social, economical, educational or any other parameter that determines one'e level in the social strata or standard of living in simple terms. What I tried to convey from my post is that there is a new tool, which I think can be termed as another of the measures taken either by judiciary or the legislature to overcome the poverty and do way with the caste-discrepancies. I am not of the opinion that the Madras High Court order will meet the same fate as what the previous corrective measures received. Above all it is an order by the Honourable High Court whereby the Centre is either bound to act on it or to knock on the doors of the Apex Court.And I am not bothered about what is the end result of it. Now, the reasons why I opose caste based reservation are umpteen. India has been scarred by the caste system. The hierarchy of castes and sub-castes have always wreaked havoc with country's pluralistic skeleton. The people from lower castes have experienced worst kind of atrocities only because of this hierarchy which must have been dismantled very very long back. Say a thousand years or two. And these were the atrocities that spurred mass conversions. Isn't it that you and I see these days? People threaten to embrace a particular religion, en masse, whenever they feel persecuted or marginalised. It doesn't matter to me whether this new initiative, taken by the Honourable High Court, is left to get dust, what is of paramount importance to me is how optimally the schemes are put to force in their letter and sprits. Now coming back to the idea which I support. If we do away with caste-based reservation and if we start practising a reservation based on educational, economic and social parameters then I can say one thing for sure, the menace of castes will disappear and escort with it the wounds that are bleeding India. By doing so we will be able to doway with the economical discrepancies or differences, and subsequently, the poverty. To me, poverty is the root cause of everything. It is the most dangerous form that engulfs entire community and in bigger terms the entire nation. The current political scenario does not allow me to be optimistic about India's opverall growth. If you evaluate two Ps you will find them more dangerous than 'terrorism.' They are 'poverty' and 'propaganda'. In order that our upcoming generation opens its eyes in an atmosphere that is pure from the strains of poverty, it is the high timewe took concrete measures. To sum up remove caste system to remove poverty and subsequently terrorism.
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