Hon.
Chairman, on behalf of my party, I support this step undertaken by the Central
Government as regards census. We support that. India is a country where followers
of different religions live together. We are the firm believers of the
principles of secularism, communal harmony and unity of the nation. We are
united in our country. We are aware that a sense of insecurity exists in the
minds of Dalits, Other Backward Classes and minorities. Right from the
commencement of our Constitution, not only the makers of the Constitution, but
also this august House from time to time has extended the benefit of the
constitutional provisions to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward
Classes. There is no harm in a detailed report after census which would emerge
caste-wise. There is no harm on that. Today we are having140 a Right to Information Act. If anybody
is making an application in respect of the caste-wise population in an area, 160 how will the Government give it? If the
Government is ready to take steps for providing necessary help to a particular
Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe or OBC, how will the Government give it? The
Government has to act on the basis of documents and not on the basis of
emotions. If these details are not available with the Government, how can the
Government take appropriate steps and extend help to the people in particular
areas where it is needed? The people who really need help have to be
identified. They cannot be brought to the surface on the basis of any lecture
or on the basis of expressions of emotions. If I wish to help a certain person,
I have280 to identify him
first. Who are the people who need help from the Government under the Directive
Principles laid down in the Constitution? How will it be known unless a
detailed picture is available? It is nice to hear emotional320 lectures. It is nice to blame people.
But nothing comes out of that. It is really difficult to work for the
betterment of the people, if certain details are not there. I fully support the
steps undertaken by the Government to undertake detailed caste-wise census. It
would be very useful if the census report makes available these figures State-wise.
We firmly believe that if such a detailed report comes to the Government, the
Government will be in a position to give a clear picture to the country as to
how many OBCs are there in which areas of the country. 420 It has just been said that employment
opportunities to OBCs have not been commensurate with their percentage in
population. I agree with that argument. But where are these OBCs living and
where is employment necessary? There is no scope for somebody to come from the
street and enter into Central Government employment. Awareness has to be
created within the480 OBCs and
within the SCs and STs. It is right that the Naxal and Maoist movements are on
the increase. That is because places have not been identified at all in the
areas of Jharkhand and West Bengal border. The people who deserve the benefits
of Government schemes have not got the benefits and these movements are gaining
ground. That is because the beneficiaries have not been properly identified.
This identification is essential. I do not want to deliver a long560 speech on this. I have a very short point
that caste-based census is necessary. On behalf of my party, I support the
steps undertaken by the Central Government because it is only after such census
is carried out that ultimately the people who need help from the Government
will get it and not others.
Our
country is a democratic secular Republic. On principle, we cannot support the
division of the society on the basis of caste, religion and creed. 640 This is our principled position. Our
country is integrated in the philosophy of unity in diversity. It is a diverse
nation. Secularism and pluralism are the mainstay of integration of our
country. But why we are discussing this important issue of Census 2011? All of
a sudden, the hon. Minister, the other day, in this august House told us that
our700 Census 2011 started and
it is going on. This process of enumeration of different sections of our people
started, but we have no time to discuss it in the House, before the process is
started. This is very unfortunate. We cannot deny the legacy of the caste-based
society in our country. Even today, caste system and religious division in our
country is there and we cannot deny that. So, for all practical purposes,
enumeration of people, particularly for categorizing the priority sector, the
deserving category or section of our society, should be there; and we cannot
deny census on800 the basis of
caste. So, our planning process, our different policies and programmes are made
on the basis of the exact composition of the people. The Government is fixing
priority of its policies on the basis of the composition of population. 840 The reservation is provided by the Constitution.
The Founding Fathers of our Constitution have enshrined this right on that
basis. They realized the caste system and they have given this right in the
Constitution. It is unfortunate that we are having this caste system in our
country. This is continuing and we are not able to eradicate it. We cannot
blame the illiterate, backward people in the country. But the advanced people,
the educated elites, are not free from caste legacies. This is a very
unfortunate situation which I must admit here. For that reason, the demand for
enumeration of census on the basis of caste system should be there. We cannot
deny this practical proposition. This is the960
ground reality. So, the enumeration should be there on the basis of caste and
also religious communities. Similarly, the composition of religious980 communities should also be enumerated.
This is our clear understanding. We are against this system and wish that this
system should not continue longer. We are for the casteless and classless
society. That type of a society must come in our country. For the present, we
are carrying on the legacy of the past. So, our census should fix the priority
areas. Enumeration on the basis of caste cannot be denied. The process of
census has already started and I do not know whether it is possible to include
at this point of time but I would say that the Government should evolve a
mechanism to include OBCs also in the enumeration process. Either the Central
Government or the State Government should formulate such a mechanism otherwise
the whole purpose of enumeration will have no meaning. I urge upon the1120 Government to re-think and be
practical. Caste system cannot be denied in our society. I would say that
Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs and minorities should be included in
the enumeration process.
As
many hon. Members have already said, the last caste-based census was done
during colonial period in 1931 and its purpose was very different. Today, the
purpose is to frame new policies or to propagate the policy that is being
vouchsafed there. That period was something else. Since Independence, no such census
has been done. A question has been posed by the Supreme Court which was
referred to by my good old friend. Why was no caste-based census done during the
last 70 years and why should it be done now? Different courts in our country
have repeatedly asked the Government why it is not carrying out the1260 caste-based census. I would like to
understand from the Government the reason they have submitted to different
courts. The Constitution1280
has provided caste-based reservation to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Let us not play with words. By shutting our eyes, we cannot do away with the
reality that is encompassing us. Other Backward Classes have been identified by
caste alone. I was talking to some of my friends here. When Other Backward Classes
are being identified, what are the parameters through which a class can be
identified? What are the criteria? What are the stratifications through which
the class can be identified? In their collective wisdom in 1990, the caste
became the basis on which OBCs were identified. What are the other parameters
through which a class can be identified and stratified? One other parameter is
the economic status. Who1400
is going to do it? It is the Government that has to do it. They have not done
it in the last 70 years. Mandal Commission had asked for caste-based census. It
is not the economic or financial backwardness that1440 is being targeted to provide
reservation. It is caste, and caste is a reality. We cannot wish it away. Caste
classification in Orissa is not that rampant. But caste is a reality and
constitutionally we have strengthened it through our various approaches and
that is a positive aspect. It is not a negative aspect. It is easy to say
sitting in our rooms that casteism is weakening our society but this is a
positive aspect that reservation is being provided. Therefore, I would say that
refusal to include a question on caste in the census makes no sense. Keeping
caste out of the census does not mean that we can wish it away. More
importantly, as long as the Government offers affirmative action for groups
that have remained backward for historical reasons, it must gather as much
information about them as possible, and that does not mean just counting the
numbers of the backward caste. It would also help policy makers1600 in identifying more precisely just
which groups are disadvantaged and to what extent.
