Demand for a Nation-Wide Caste Census Will be a Double-Barreled Gun Against Corporate-Manuvadi Fascism

P J James

When the RSS-BJP leadership was approaching Supreme Court seeking a stay on the Caste-based Census initiated by Bihar government in the beginning of 2023, in a statement entitled “Political Undertones of the Ongoing Bihar Caste Census” released on February 2, exposing the Hindutva agenda behind that move, CPI (ML) Red Star had upheld the political relevance of such a Census in caste-ridden Indian society and explained how the same will be a heavy blow to the saffron fascist forces. Overcoming many hurdles created by the Brahmanical forces, now the two-stage Survey is completed in Bihar and the caste-wise information and the socio-economic profiles of people are collected. According to information that is released, as afraid by those who obstructed the whole Caste census process in its every stage, 63 percent of the population of Bihar belongs to Extremely Backward Classes (EBC) and Other Backward Classes (OBC). In due course, it will be inevitable on the part of other state governments and the Indian State regime itself to go for a nation-wide caste census and increase the reservation quota of the oppressed castes from the existing 50 percent according to their proportionate share in total population.

To be precise, during the 1980s and 1990s, when RSS was spearheading the Mandir movement leading to the demolition of the Babri Masjid by Saffron goons in 1992, the Mandal Movement (Mandal 1.0) leading to implementation of 27% percent reservation for OBCs, though not based on any Caste census, was the most powerful initiative that imparted heavy blows to Brahmanical forces. Under pressure from Sangh Parivar and with the backing of ‘mechanical Marxists’ who failed to comprehend the inseparable link between ‘class’ and caste in the Indian context and whom Ambedkar called “Brahmin boys” (the CPM Central Committee in a Resolution on November 4, 1990 had already demanded economic reservation, and the present CPM-led Kerala government has become the pioneer in this field by deciding on October 21, 2019 to amend the State Subordinate Service Rules to implement EWS), though the Rao government, through an executive order announced 10 percent economic reservation in government jobs, the 9-member Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court struck down it interpreting the same as unconstitutional. However, corporate-fascist regime under Modi.2, through its stranglehold over legislature, judiciary and entire administration became successful in bringing about the wholly Brahmanical, upper caste-oriented economic reservation (EWS), thereby subverting the basic character of the Constitution itself.

However, the demand for a Caste Census has been gathering momentum over the years. 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, and following Power Transfer, the upper caste ruling classes comprising the political leadership, the higher bureaucracy in both civil and military administration, judiciary and intelligentsia who have monopolised country’s wealth and jobs have been systematically obstructing any move for a Caste census. The data from Socio-Economic and Caste Census of 2011 under Manmohan government though published in 2014, with many errors was put in the cold storage. It was in this context that along with the saffron agenda of dragging various castes into the Hindutva fold through appeasing lowers caste leaders and hoodwinking the oppressed masses and ensure their support, the BJP regime in 2018 announced the inclusion of caste as a category in the 2021 census. However, it backtracked from that position without providing any explanation, and cunningly postponed the Census altogether, while implementing 10 percent EWS in break-neck speed.

As pointed out in the Party’s February Statement on Caste Census, the immediate context that prompted all the pro-Mandal parties to stand united for Caste Census, now projected as Mandal 2.0, has been Modi regime’s superimposition of EWS and the Supreme Court’s endorsement of it. Following the 10 percent EWS, the upper castes (including both Brahmin and non-Brahmin upper castes) comprising around 10 percent of the Indian population, who already hold lion’s share of India’s wealth and highly paid, elite jobs both in public and private-corporate sectors, will have their total monopoly over these spheres. In continuation of the Bihar Caste Census, if a nation-wide Caste Census takes place, the caste-based data that such a Caste Census/ Survey yields will definitely expose the horrific essence of caste-ridden India where majority of the professions and jobs in both higher and lower echelons of administration, bureaucracy, education, etc. are cornered by the very same upper castes in whom India’s wealth and resources are already concentrated. Such a revelation itself by the people will shake not only the material base of RSS fascism but also its ideological basis which is the most inhuman caste system.

As usual, the Brahmanical forces and their spokespersons have come forward vehemently hitting out at the pitch for a Caste Census claiming that there is no correlation between socio-economic status and caste. They even argue that the clarion call for caste census and resulting policies will be a threat to nation’s unity. According to them, the demand for caste census itself is tantamount to sacrificing country’s development and unity at the altar of political expediency. Of course, they are just repeating the position of Golwalkar, the chief theoretician of Hindutva or Hindu Rashtra, that casteism was synonymous with ‘Hindu Nation’. In that sense, i.e., for those who identify casteism with nation, any move or reform to alter caste hierarchy will be against the nation. No doubt, a nation-wide Caste-Census and policies thereof, if come true, then it will necessitate a large-scale redistribution of jobs from the higher echelons of bureaucracy, more than three-quarters of which are now monopolised by 10 percent of the upper castes in India. To be precise, the demand for a nation-wide Caste Census that is now emerging throughout the length and breadth of India will strengthen the political consciousness of the oppressed and will have far-reaching impact on restraining the caste horror in the coming days.

Therefore, a nation-wide Caste Census is having strategic importance in the long-term struggle for caste annihilation and for democratisation of society. And fully comprehending the multi-dimensional impact of Caste Census as an effective weapon against the material and ideological base of the corporate-saffron fascism, the CPI (ML) Red Star appeals to the working class and all oppressed together with all anti-fascist progressive-democratic forces to wholeheartedly come forward resolutely demanding the ruling regime for a nation-wide Caste-Census and to put forward it as one of the core issues in the 2024 General Election.