The demand for caste census is likely to get a fillip with the Supreme Court on Tuesday appearing to draw a link between OBC population and quantum of reservation for backward classes.
Coming just ahead of Parliament's monsoon session where proponents of caste census are set to renew their pitch, the order allowing Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to continue reservations exceeding the SC's 50% cap can inspire pro-Mandal players to push anew for an exercise to determine the exact population of backward castes. The SC relief is laden with possibilities, the biggest being a political justification for OBC satraps who have chafed at the 50% cap.
The fresh linkage between population and reservation quantum, even if not final, comes just when OBC satraps have stepped up pressure for caste census. The delay and the voices of opposition from Congress ranks have led them to fear that government could be backpedalling.
With Parliament session looming, the government may find itself under more pressure from backward outfits like SP and RJD who it needs on its side to boost its numbers. While the proponents of caste census have argued that enumeration of OBCs was required to better target the policies of OBC welfare, like knowing the size of the OBC group would help in determining the funds for welfare schemes, suspicions remain that the demand is actually driven by quota considerations.
The anti-caste census camp believes that the `Q' word has been avoided as it would have invited resistance from non-reserved communities and mired the issue in controversy. But the ruling is a welcome relief for Congress vis-a-vis coalition politics.
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