Political Undertones of the Ongoing Bihar Caste Census – Editorial, Redstar February, 2023 Issue

Political Undertones of the Ongoing Bihar Caste Census

The first phase of Caste-based Census that commenced in Bihar on January 7, 2023, after collecting data on the total number of households in the state concluded on January 21, and the second phase in which data related to caste are to be collected will be held in April. While the Bihar government of the “Mahagathbandhan” alliance mainly representing post Mandal-era parties is eagerly waiting for taking advantage of the political gains from the caste-based census, the BJP, quite afraid of the potential damage from it, is trying to avoid the same by all means. As part of that, though the RSS/BJP, citing administrative difficulties, approached the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the caste-census process, the Court’s reluctance to interfere in the matter has added to the concerns of saffron forces.

The only caste census that took place in India was during the British rule in 1931 when available information on caste could be codified officially. After that, though demand for a caste census has been there from various quarters, the upper caste political leaders and bureaucracy who have monopolised the country’s wealth and government jobs were consistently obstructing such a move over the years. In order to appease lowers caste leaders and ensure their support, though the BJP regime in 2018 announced the inclusion of caste as category in the 2021 census, it cunningly backtracked from that position without providing any explanation.

Obviously, the immediate context that prompted the pro-Mandal parties and OBC leaders to go for a caste census in Bihar is Modi government’s constitutional amendment for the wholly upper caste-oriented 10 percent economic reservation and the recent endorsement of the same by the Supreme Court by a majority verdict. During the early 1990s, when backward caste reservation came in to being following the Mandal Report, RSS/BJP pitted ‘Kamandal’ against it through a vicious Hindutva polarisation leading to the demolition of the Babri Masjid by saffron goons together with Rao government’s executive order announcing 10 percent economic reservation in government jobs which the CPI (M) was also endorsed at that time. However the 9-member Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court struck down it interpreting the same as unconstitutional.

However, it took almost three decades on the part of RSS/BJP through Modi.2 for establishing its complete stranglehold over the entire regime including judiciary to go again for the ‘unconstitutional’ economic reservation. Ironically, when the BJP leaders are attacking the Bihar regime for demanding an end to the 50 percent cap on reservation for ensuring the due share of OBCs in government jobs according to their population proportion, they are safely ignoring the manner in which the majority judgement of the SC has already sabotaged this Constitutional mandate.

No doubt, the RSS/BJP which is bent on upholding the interests of the minority upper castes is afraid of a caste census as it will not only expose the concentration of wealth and top bureaucratic posts held by the elite castes, but also the economic, educational and social privileges enjoyed by them. Definitely, the Bihar Caste Census along with its impact in the state, will have its repercussions pan-Indian repercussions. It will create more hurdles in the ongoing saffronisation offensive of integrating many lower castes into the Hindutva-fold or Hindutva umbrella through what is called a ‘deconstruction of castes’. To overcome it, in case the RSS/BJP resorts to a Hindutva counter-offensive, then reminiscent of the Mandal-Kamandal clash of the late 1980s and early 1990s, it may lead to a turbulent political situation in the coming days. To be precise, on account of the inherent contradictions of the Indian caste system, as already noted, the over-enthusiasm of RSS/BJP in ensuring Supreme Court endorsement of 10 percent upper-caste reservation seems to be short-lived, as it has opened a Pandora’s box providing political justification for the Mandal parties to intensively pursue their long-cherished demand for a caste census.

In this context, in view of the political undertones of a caste census in the caste-ridden Indian social order, and taking into account the concrete Hindutva fascist situation today, CPI (ML) Red Star supports the ongoing Bihar caste census. Though the outcome of a caste census today cannot be predicted now, a reliable and official caste data will be helpful for democratic forces in drawing out their immediate task of challenging corporate-saffron fascism today.

(Editorial, Red Star February 2023)