INDIA bloc cites Bihar data to reiterate demand for nationwide caste census

The Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) leaders renewed their demand for a nationwide caste census on October 2 in order to assure "social justice" to the underprivileged classes, citing the results of the Bihar caste survey.

Parties associated with the INDIA bloc have made the call for a caste census and OBC outreach their most prominent electoral strategy in the lead-up to the Lok Sabha election next year.

Rahul Gandhi, a former leader of the Congress, claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's claim to be a champion of the Other Backward Classes was one of the false ideas that the bloc should dispel at the Upcoming summit in Mumbai.

On October 2, Mr. Gandhi reaffirmed that a community's rights should be proportionate to the size of its population in a society in response to the publication of the Bihar caste survey.

According to Mr. Gandhi's post on Facebook, the Bihar data showed that the combined percentage of OBCs, Scheduled Castes (SC), and Scheduled Tribes (ST) in the State was 84%.

Only three of the Central Government's 90 secretaries, who manage 5% of India's budget, come from the OBC. Thus, it is crucial to understand India's caste statistics. This is our promise: the more people there are, the stronger their rights.

His job was in line with the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the highest-ranking decision-making body in the party, which advocated raising the reservation cap from the current 50%.

The CWC said in a resolution that the Narendra Modi administration's obstinate reluctance to carry out a caste census "revealed the BJP's lack of commitment to social and economic justice and its bias against the backward classes, Dalits, and tribal people."

"In this context, the CWC also asks for enhancing the top limit of reservations now in existence for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, and OBCs," the resolution states.

Jairam Ramesh, the head of the Congress' media department, welcomed the Bihar government's initiative and said that while the party had previously conducted a similar survey in Karnataka, a caste census of the entire nation was now necessary.

According to Mr. Ramesh on X, "Such a Census has become vital for laying a firmer foundation for social empowerment programmes and for increasing social justice."

The Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav responded to the BJP's claim that the caste census might cause conflict by saying, "The caste census is not a struggle of 85-15; instead, it will open new roads of cooperation."

Those who favour an equal society would be in favour of it. He continued that the goal of revealing each community's numerical strength is to boost their self-esteem and foster a sense of civic responsibility.

Sitaram Yechury, general secretary of the CPI (M), praised Bihar for leading the way and said on Twitter, "Day in and day out Modi castigates Opposition parties as anti-OBC while portraying himself as champion! He does not, however, agree to a case census. 2021 Census is postponed out of fear of addressing caste reality.

"This data would help the government in making policies accurately with a tangible understanding of deprivations," said D. Raja, general secretary of the Communist Party of India. Other States also require such activities to develop policies that are based on science and evidence.