Justice V Eswaraiah:’Government Did A U-Turn On Caste Census’

‘They wish to sabotage the caste census and bury Muslim backward courses, Hindu backward courses, Sikh backward courses and Buddhist backward courses.’

IMAGE: Enumerators gather info from residents in the course of the first section of the 2027 census at Ramjichak Dugha in Patna. {Photograph}: ANI Photograph

The federal government’s resolution to gather caste-related info as a part of the census has been broadly described as the start of the long-awaited caste census.

However Justice V Eswaraiah (retd), former appearing chief justice of the Andhra Pradesh excessive courtroom and former chairperson of the Nationwide Fee for Backward Courses and a longstanding advocate of caste-based enumeration, strongly disputes that description.

Justice Eswaraiah argues that merely asking a person to state their caste within the Census doesn’t quantity to a caste census able to establishing the nation’s social and academic backwardness or figuring out the illustration for various communities.

In response to him, the train stays essentially a inhabitants census below the Census Act, with out the detailed questions and verification mechanisms wanted to establish communities throughout the central and state Different Backward Courses (OBC) lists.

In an interview with Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff, Justice Eswaraiah asserts that successive governments have averted a complete caste enumeration as a result of credible information might strengthen calls for from backward communities for his or her share in political illustration, schooling, authorities employment, healthcare, the economic system and administration.

How do you have a look at the caste census that’s being launched within the present Census?

Let me right you, there isn’t any caste census taking place this time. So your query is fallacious.

However the tenth query out of 40 questions on this Census notably asks for an individual’s caste.

It’s the standard format of conducting a census, so this isn’t a ‘caste census’.

Within the 2011 socio-economic caste census there was a specific query which said if you’re not scheduled caste/scheduled tribe, which caste do you belong to?

Which caste, means?

Like Brahmin, Kshatriya, Baniya. Now below Brahmin there are a lot of classes of castes, likewise in Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra castes the place there are literally thousands of castes.

So what do you write? Equally, if you write backward class it isn’t a caste. Once more, what do you write?

Furthermore, the central record of Different Backward Courses and states’ Different Backward Courses are completely different so nobody is aware of what to write down within the caste column.

Even when caste is permissible, there are literally thousands of castes in India and the way do you establish the social standing of being an academic and backward class?

So what query ought to have been requested to make it a caste census?

There ought to have been a column asking whether or not your caste is included in each the central authorities record and state authorities record or is it solely current within the central authorities caste record and never within the state authorities caste record.

The opposite query ought to have been whether or not your caste is within the state authorities record and never within the central authorities record.

These items ought to have been clearly talked about and solely then this could have been a caste census.

So what do these 40 census questions obtain on caste standing?

The federal government modified its promise to conduct a caste census and did a U-turn on their promise.

There are two phases in conducting a caste census.

First is whereas conducting a family survey they’ve deliberately missed to incorporate which head of the home belongs to which caste.

Even now, whereas enumerating the caste census, they’re doing solely census work, that’s inhabitants rely.

There have been protests about this, however the authorities didn’t embody this level.

They aren’t in any respect severe about doing a caste census. They wish to sabotage the caste census and bury Muslim backward courses, Hindu backward courses, Sikh backward courses and Buddhist backward courses.

What’s the motive?

They (higher castes) have been ruling this nation for ages they usually wish to perpetuate and proceed to have an oligarchy.

Proper now the temper of the nation is completely different, although, as everybody feels a caste census is occurring.

Persons are in a slumber.

On August 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated the youth of this nation ought to help census staffers for clerical work.

He desires these unemployed backward folks to work totally free and fill the coffers of the rulers for this census work.

The 2011 SECC Knowledge Controversy

So once we carried out the socio financial caste census in 2011 why did we not launch that information at that time of time?

This was completed in the course of the Congress-ruled UPA authorities from 2011 onwards and accomplished in March 2014.

By the point it was accomplished the BJP got here to energy in Might 2014.

And they didn’t launch it as a result of at that time of time it was stated 0.5 p.c of the info was inaccurate.

IMAGE: Knowledge assortment for Census 2027 underway in Ranchi. {Photograph}: ANI Photograph

It was simply an excuse to not launch the caste census information.

If caste census information was launched then the demand would have risen from the caste teams for his or her due share within the govt, legislature, judiciary, schooling, well being, economic system and administration. They’ll ask for his or her share.

Fearing they’ll elevate questions of the institution, that’s the reason they sat and did nothing about their Constitutional rights.

Furthermore, you see the contradiction in Prime Minister Modi’s assertion. He says on one hand that doing enterprise runs in his blood whereas then again he says he comes from essentially the most backward caste.

How is that doable? Most backward courses are wandering folks, begging courses whose financial standing is worse than the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes or Adivasis too.

As a proponent of a caste census ‘Jiski Jitni sankhya bhaari utni uski hissedari (your caste will get advantages in accordance with your inhabitants)’, will it clear up India’s downside?

Certainly, it’ll clear up India’s downside.

India’s downside is of discrimination, exploitation and suppression.

The caste census if carried out will assist to convey equality, equal standing and equal alternative for everybody.

The caste system isn’t there anyplace on this planet.

Discrimination is simply associated to color, race and area.

India is the one nation the place caste-ridden discrimination exists.

If the whole information is out there, then there might be a requirement for equality and equal schooling alike for poor and the wealthy, as within the case of developed nations.

Even in a rustic like Mauritius there’s free schooling for all. If the poor and downtrodden develop, then the entire society advantages.

State-Stage Caste Surveys and Political Stances

Had been the Telangana and Bihar caste census completed in the suitable means?

Each states did not do it the suitable means.

However sure, Bihar did considerably higher than Telangana.

The Telangana caste census is a bogus caste census.

Are you implying the Congress is mendacity that they did the caste census proper in Telangana?

Rahul Gandhi is mendacity on the caste census. On the caste census he desires reputation so he’s bluffing to the backward courses.

I met him with a delegation of 45 organisations on January 13, 2024, when the Congress had simply come to energy in Telangana.

I instructed him then that if you’re truthful and wish to get the credit score he ought to make sure that the caste census was carried out correctly in Congress-ruled states.

IMAGE: Census workers undertake a mapping train in New Delhi. {Photograph}: Naveen Sharma/ANI Photograph

He didn’t do something and I wrote a letter to him as nicely.

In Telangana, Reddys rule although their caste population is so low (exterior hyperlink).

There was no correct door to door survey completed within the Telangana caste census.

Authenticated task was not given. In the event you ask a query, they will be unable to show as to the place they carried out the inquiry about my home.

There was no alternative given to lift objections with regard to counting of the caste census.

Even in accordance with the Mandal Fee, there have been 52 p.c backward class inhabitants.

The Mandal Fee report was applied from 1993 onwards. From October 2013 to October 2016, after I was chairman of the Nationwide Fee for Backward Courses, I discovered that 1,661 plus OBCs had been within the central record in 1994 however then from 1995 to 2016 1,000 extra OBCs had been included within the record.

So in complete there are 2,600-odd OBCs in India, in accordance with the central record. OBC numbers are solely rising and there’s not a single exclusion within the central OBC record.

Are you able to clarify this level?

There’s a central authorities OBC record after which there’s a separate state authorities OBC record.

Some castes are within the state OBC record however not within the central OBC record.

We do not settle for a typical OBC record for state and central governments in contrast to for SC/STs.

The Authorities of India then amended the Structure.

The Structure (127th Modification) Invoice was amended in 2021 the place Article 342A(3) was handed particularly authorising states to take care of their OBC Listing.

This implies states were able to directly notify (exterior hyperlink) OBC and SEBCs for all functions.

I drafted a laws for the Telangana authorities and instructed (Chief Minister) Revanth Reddy to cross a invoice within the state meeting so a statutory caste census may be carried out.

I drafted the laws for him and spoonfed all the things however Revanth Reddy was not ready to cross this laws.

So there isn’t any distinction between the Congress and the BJP on caste census.

What you might be saying is stunning as a result of Rahul Gandhi has been a proponent of a caste census.

No person is aware of the truth of Rahul Gandhi. He’s surviving in politics solely due to southern states like Telangana and Karnataka.

He would not do something concerning the caste census.

Right this moment, even that 27 p.c OBC reservation is being taken out below the garb of a creamy layer and given to the ahead castes. Is that this humanity?

What about OBC leaders in political events?

There isn’t any OBC chief. Both you’re a Congress chief, BJP chief or Communist chief however not an OBC chief.

If any OBC speaks overtly on such points he is not going to get a ticket to contest elections.

Test what occurred to Rajendra Pal Gautam of the Aam Aadmi Occasion who’s a scheduled caste. Arvind Kejriwal simply dropped him when he began making a noise over reservations.

Lastly, will you name this present train a caste census?

There isn’t any caste census however solely a census below the Census Act the place they’re counting the inhabitants.

The BJP has been propagating that they’ll usher in a caste census. They’ve been mendacity about it.

They promised the backward courses to present their due share and all that is bluff.

Why they’re scared of getting a column asking particularly within the gazette whether or not you might be from an OBC caste/class?