OBC MPs meet PM, raises issue of caste in census

The issue of inclusion of caste in census was raised by OBC MPs belonging to all parties with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today.

The MPs, part of the Parliamentary forum of OBC MPs, also told Singh that there was an urgent need to constitute a Parliamentary Committee for OBCs on the lines of the one for the Scheduled Castes and Tribes. This was needed to ensure the implementation of reservation to OBCs and see that their grievances are redressed fairly in all government departments, they said.

The MPs also submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister complaining that the National Commission for Backward Classes does not have any powers to inquire and investigate into the representations by OBC associations or employees. While money is being spent by the government on the scheme for OBCs, there is no mechanism to monitor as to whether it really reaches the deserving OBC people, they felt.

"Even in respect of providing 27 per cent reservation in education, where the UPA government has earmarked a huge sum of Rs 17000 crore...to enable OBC students to enter into higher educational institutions, we have received lots of representations that the directives of the HRD ministry are being violated and the seats alloted to OBCs are being transferred to general categories," the memorandum said. The Prime Minister has assured the delegation that he will refer this matter to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, sources said.

Why wait for Centre's caste census?' asks Ramadoss

CHENNAI: The ruling DMK and the PMK are locking horns over the issue of the state government conducting its own castewise census instead of waiting for the Centre to include caste as a parameter in its ongoing nationwise census operation.

While chief minister M Karunanidhi has rejected the demand from PMK founder S Ramadoss that the State should go ahead with its own castewise enumeration, the PMK leader on Wednesday joined issue with him and came up with arguments in favour of a state-level initiative. "I don't have to nod in agreement whenever Ramadoss makes some demand. Caste-based census is something that the DMK has accepted. However, when there are efforts at a national level to include caste in the census process, we don't want to have our own enumeration as it will interfere with the Union government's exercise," Karunanidhi told on Tuesday.

However, the PMK founder appealed to the DMK regime not to wait indefinitely for the Centre to make up its mind on the issue. "The Union government is only considering a request from some political parties for a caste-based census and is under no great compulsion to exert itself in this regard. However, there is a duty cast on the Tamil Nadu government to abide by the Supreme Court's order in July seeking relevant data to justify its 69% total reservation," Ramadoss said.

He recalled that the apex court had permitted the state to retain its present level of reservation but had given a year's time to come up with data on the caste composition of the population and submit the details to the backward classes commission so that the BC panel could fix a percentage of reservation in tune with the state's requirements. "If the state government doesn't complete the exercise within a year, there is every possibility that the court may decide that the state has failed to justify its present level of reservation and render an adverse verdict," he warned. "Any regime interested in upholding social justice ought to have utilised this opportunity and ordered a caste-wise census the very next day. The Puducherry government has decided to have its own census without anybody making a demand in this regard. And it has already decided to formulate a new reservation policy based on the census," he pointed out.

लिंग बदलवाने वालों की जनगणना में अलग श्रेणी

नई दिल्ली.महापंजीयक द्वारा गठित तकनीकी सलाहकार समिति ने लिंग परिवर्तन कराने वालों (ट्रांसजेंडर्स) को जनगणना में अलग श्रेणी में रखने की सिफारिश की है। फिलहाल उनकी गणना पुरुष के तौर पर की जाती है।

बरेली स्थित गैर सरकारी संगठन एसएसएफए-ईएसएफआई के डॉ. एसई हुडा को सूचना के अधिकार के तहत यह जानकारी दी गई। तकनीकी समिति की सिफारिश सरकार को भेजी गई है। यह सिफारिश मंजूर होने पर सर्जरी से लिंग बदलवाने वालों को जनगणना में कोड ‘तीन’ दिया जाएगा। पुरुषों का कोड ‘एक’ और महिलाओं का कोड ‘दो’ रहेगा।

इस बीच, योजना आयोग ने भी यूनिक आइडेंटिफिकेशन परियोजना में लिंग बदलवाने वालों की अलग श्रेणी बनाने की सिफारिश की है। गैर सरकारी संगठन ने इस बारे में प्रधानमंत्री कार्यालय, राष्ट्रपति सचिवालय, गृह मंत्रालय और महापंजीयक से आग्रह किया था। इसके अलावा सुप्रीम कोर्ट में भी यचिका लगाई है।

Government may conduct fresh exercise for Caste Census

The Government is looking at the option of introducing a fresh exercise exclusively for “caste Census” in 2011. Government sources said that the move is under consideration of the home ministry after political parties like the RJD,SP, BSP opposed the proposal for introducing a caste count at the “biometric” stage in the ongoing Census 2011 exercise, arguing that the OBCs and SC/STs in backward and far-flung regions will not be able to visit the biometric centres and may even face discrimination there.

The government had sought views of political parties on the issue. However, a decision on how and when to conduct a caste census will be a taken by the government by arriving at a political consensus on the issue. Till now the government had been looking at two options of introducing the caste count either during the “headcount” in the second phase of the ongoing census exercise or at the biometric stage starting November 2010 when camps will be set up collect fingerprints and iris scan of residents.

“If there is no consensus on both these fronts, then we may need to introduce a separate exercise next year for a caste census,” a government official said. The official pointed out that such a move would cost the government Rs 4,000 crores and require the participation of 28 lakh officials once again. “We will need to work from scratch from printing of forms and conducting the caste enumeration exercise,” the official added.

While the Opposition and OBC parties are mounting pressure on the Manmohan Singh government to take up the caste headcount in the second phase of the census exercise, instead of the biometric stage, the Left parties have proposed that the caste census should ensure a “scientific count” of Other Backward Classes (OBC).The Group of Ministers constituted to look into the matter had earlier recommended that caste information can be recorded in the last stage of Census 2011 when biometric information will be gathered.

Caste census: 'Don’t wait for biometric stage'

CHENNAI: Reiterating his commitment towards caste-based census, Chief Minister and DMK chief M Karunanidhi has requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to incorporate caste details in the ongoing census instead of postponing it to the biometric stage.
Karunanidhi, in his letter dated August 14 to the Prime Minister, said, “A few changes in the existing format will be sufficient to achieve the objective of caste-based census and complete the task early.’’
“I firmly believe that the caste-based census will certainly go a long way in ensuring that the fruits of various developmental schemes implemented by the Union government and State governments fully percolate down to the lower strata of the society,’’ Karunanidhi said.

Take up caste census now: OBC leaders

NEW DELHI: The Opposition and OBC parties on Thursday mounted pressure on the Manmohan Singh government to take up the caste headcount in the second phase of the census exercise, instead of the biometric stage.

After an uproar led by the members belonging to the OBC in the Lok Sabha, leaders of BJP, SP, JD-U, RJD and BSP met finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and home minister P Chidambaram. They told the ministers that taking up caste census in the biometric stage would defeat the purpose as it would be a long-drawn process. According to sources, the two leaders said that they will place the proposal of caste enumeration during the second phase before the Cabinet.

The Opposition is confident that the government will find it difficult to turn down its demand on the premise that it cannot afford to anger ‘Backward Classes’. While responding to members’ allegations in the House that the government was trying to “befool” the people, Mr Mukherjee said that the modalities of caste enumeration had not been decided. He said the Group of Ministers (GoM) looking into the demand for a caste-based census had agreed to go ahead with it, but the final decision on “how and when” will have to be taken by the Cabinet.

The members of the ‘social justice’ parties were on their feet as soon as Speaker Meira Kumar finished reading obituary references after the House met for the day. JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav, SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, BSP MP Dara Singh Chauhan and RJD leader Lalu Prasad alleged that the government was trying to delay the caste headcount exercise by including it in the biometric phase, which was a “long-drawn” process. “This exercise cannot be completed in 100 years. The decision to hand out voter identity cards was taken 15 years ago and has not been implemented completely,” Mr Sharad Yadav said.

Mr Mukherjee, who headed the GoM, said it was decided that caste will be canvassed without affecting the integrity of the headcount. “The decision on the mechanism will have to be taken formally. The decision will be taken by the Cabinet. When the Cabinet meets and takes a decision, we will inform you,” he said. The ministerial panel had on Wednesday recommended that caste information can be recorded in the last stage of Census 2011 when biometric information will be gathered. The biometric parameters include photographs, fingerprints and iris-mapping of citizens which will be collected for the NPR to create a multi-purpose unique identity card. The first stage of the census — the household and family survey — which began on April one is nearly over and the second phase has begun.

जाति जनगणना को मंज़ूरी

कई महीनों की बहस और अनिश्चितता के बाद आख़िर केंद्र के मंत्रिमंडल समूह ने जाति आधारित जनगणना को मंज़ूरी दे दी है.
वित्तमंत्री प्रणव मुखर्जी के नेतृत्व वाले मंत्रिमंडल समूह ने निर्णय लेने की समय सीमा ख़त्म होने के बाद हुई एक बैठक में इसे मंज़ूरी दे दी है.
फ़ैसला किया गया है कि जाति आधारित जनगणना बायोमिट्रिक जनगणना का दौर शुरु होने के साथ ही शुरु होगा.
बायोमिट्रिक जनगणना का दौर दिसंबर से शुरु होने की उम्मीद है. इसमें 15 वर्ष और उससे अधिक उम्र के लोगों की फ़ोटो, उंगलियों के निशान और आँखों की पुतलियों की तस्वीरें ली जाएँगी.

जातिगत गणना पर सहमति के आसार

देश में बहस का कारण बने जातिगत जनगणना के मुद्दे पर यूपीए सरकार और विपक्ष में आम सहमति बनने के आसार हैं। इस मुद्दे पर विचार के लिए सोमवार रात कांग्रेस कोर गु्रप की बैठक हुई। समझा जाता है कि प्रधानमंत्री मनमोहन सिंह और कांग्रेस प्रमुख सोनिया गांधी की उपस्थिति में आयोजित इस बैठक में जातिगत जनगणना पर आगे बढ़ने का फैसला हुआ है।

प्रमुख विपक्षी दल भाजपा ने भी लंबे उहापोह के बाद जनगणना में जाति को शामिल करने पर रजामंदी जताई है। गौरतलब है कि संसद के बजट सत्र में सपा, जद (यू) और राजद ने जाति आधारित जनगणना की पुरजोर मांग की थी। इस मुद्दे पर राजनेताओं की अलग-अलग राय से मामला उलझ गया था। सरकार ने आम राय बनाने के लिए मंत्रियों के समूह (जीओएम) को यह मुद्दा सौंप दिया था। वित्त मंत्री प्रणब मुखर्जी की अध्यक्षता वाले जीओएम ने जातिगत जनगणना के मुद्दे पर लगभग सभी दलों से राय जानी है। जीओएम अब विचारों पर चर्चा के लिए जल्द ही बैठक करेगा।

सभी दलों को सात अगस्त तक इस मुद्दे पर राय देने को कहा गया था। क्या कांग्रेस ने अपने विचारों से जीओएम को अवगत करा दिया है, इसका सीधा जवाब देने से बचते हुए मुखर्जी ने कहा, ‘मैं कांग्रेस का प्रतिनिधि हूं। मैं कांग्रेस से बाहर नहीं हूं।’ इसके यह मायने हैं कि जीओएम की बैठक से पहले मुखर्जी, कांग्रेस के विचारों से अवगत करा सकते हैं। भाजपा ने राष्ट्रीय महत्व के किसी मुद्दे पर शायद पहली बार अपने मातृ संगठन आरएसएस से अलग रुख अपनाया है। लोकसभा में विपक्ष की नेता सुषमा स्वराज ने कहा कि जाति आधारित जनगणना के मुद्दे पर गठित जीओएम के अध्यक्ष प्रणब मुखर्जी को पार्टी की ओर से पत्र संघ से बातचीत के बाद लिखा गया। उन्होंने कहा कि इस मुद्दे पर पार्टी की संघ से असहमति है। संघ का मानना है कि अनुसूचित जाति और अनुसूचित जनजाति की तरह अगर ओबीसी श्रेणी में जनगणना होती है तो इससे समाज में और दरार पैदा होगी।

Caste count may figure at last stage of Census

Digvijay Singh, the AICC general secretary, on Thursday called for caste census as the proponents of caste enumeration in the national headcount moved to nudge the Centre ahead of a decision on the contentious issue by a group of ministers headed by Pranab Mukherjee.

Digviajy Singh was upfront in demanding caste census as he said that all political parties had accepted caste as a reality with Mandal commission. Releasing a book "Caste Census: Towards an Inclusive India" by S Japhet and Chandan Gowda of National Law School University, Bangalore, Singh said the country wished a "casteless society" but could not wish away the fact that caste remains a ground reality. "I do not understand the opposition to it," he said.

Singh's advocacy of caste census came as chairman of National Commission for Backward Classes MN Rao said opposition to the move could be a ploy to get the reservation policy scrapped. He said the Supreme Court has repeatedly sniggered at backward reservation being implemented without ascertainable data of the target groups and not holding the census could lead to scrapping of reservation altogether.

Sources said Congress is likely to settle for caste census. The caste enumeration may be included at the time of collection of biometric data in the decennial census, the last stage of the exercise. The inclusion of caste at the biometric stage will also allay fears that a motivation to inflate figures among the interested caste groups will compromise the important census data. Till then, Congress is keeping silent on the issue in view of divisions within.

RSS shows BJP the way out on caste census

A way out seems to have opened up for the Bharatiya Janata Party, which was caught between its own stand in Parliament favouring a caste-based census and that of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which had come out strongly against the proposal.
With four days to go before the BJP leadership responds to the government's query on its stand — which it wants from the party in writing — it seems the RSS may not, after all, stand in the BJP's way of its favouring a caste-based census.
At a meeting of Sangh Parivar associations chaired by the RSS two days ago, members from different Sangh affiliates expressed their views in some detail on the caste question. The meeting was of its cultural department — and it was decided that there might be no harm done if an “all-caste census” was undertaken.

Caste census: BJP, RSS narrow down differences

NEW DELHI: Narrowing down their differences, the BJP and the RSS may agree on the inclusion of the caste column in the Census 2011.
According to sources, while earlier the RSS was opposed to the inclusion of caste as well as the OBC column in the census, it is now veering around the view that it may agree on caste, but not the OBC column. The final view would be taken at the core group meeting of the party, convened by BJP president Nitin Gadkari on Friday. What compels the party to take a stand on the issue urgently is that it has to send in its views to the GoM on caste census, headed by Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee by Saturday.
The issue of caste census figured in the BJP parliamentary party meeting on Tuesday, chaired by parliamentary party chairman L K Advani.
Two party MPs, Raghunandan Sharma and Sumitra Mahajan, who attended a Sangh Parivar brainstorming recently, informed the party leadership that the Sangh view was not to accept an OBC-based census, as it would create confusion. If the choice is on having columns for the SC, ST and the OBC, or merely to have a caste column, the party should go in for the latter option of seeking a caste column.
The Sangh view is that there is no uniformity in the OBC list. Naik, for instance is tribal in Maharashtra, while in other states it is listed under OBC. As such, it may only lead to greater confusion.
Initially, when the BJP supported the caste-based census, the RSS openly made known its opposition to it. The RSS opposition was articulated by a top RSS functionary Bhaiyaji Joshi. After that, there were several meetings within the party to sort out the issue. The Sangh also has been discussing the issue. Now that the Sangh has indicated its line, the BJP is expected to toe the same.
In his letter of July 7 to Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj, Pranab Mukherjee indicated a four-week timeframe for the BJP to respond by sending in the party’s views to the GoM on the issue.
So, the BJP has to respond by August 7. The GoM was set up after the Union Cabinet failed to arrive at a view on the issue. The GoM, at its first meeting on July 1, decided to seek the views of the political parties represented in Parliament, before finalising its report to the Union Cabinet.
“The replies received from the political parties will be taken into account by the GoM before it submits its report to the Cabinet,” Pranab Mukherjee informed Sushma Swaraj.

SP, RJD protest ‘sabotage’ of caste census, stage LS walkout

The SP and RJD staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha on Monday accused the government of dithering on caste census.

Speaking during zero hour, SP member Shailendra Kumar attacked the government for not going ahead with a census of OBCs and called it a step backward. He said it was a unique opportunity to acquire important data on the backwards. He said the government seemed to be in two minds on the issue.

As soon as he finished speaking, SP and RJD members began shouting slogans decrying the government’s attempt to ‘sabotage’ caste census. “Either enumerate the backwards or stop census,” they shouted. SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav led the walkout. The RJD side was led by Raghuvansh Prasad Singh since Lalu Prasad was not present.

Meanwhile, with political parties expected to respond to the Centre’s inquiry on their views regarding inclusion of caste in the ongoing census by August 7, BJP is expected to stick to its stated position supporting the move to enumerate caste. Sources said the BJP core was expected to meet on August 6 to take a final view on a divisive issue which has seen the RSS oppose a caste based census. Within the BJP, the divisions are clear enough as is the case in Congress with OBC leaders supporting the move and others being lukewarm.